Andre Bolkonsky
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Posts posted by Andre Bolkonsky
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A lot of time and effort went into crafting detailed, hand drawn, well narrated intros flowing with beautiful music to introduce both the American and British campaigns. But after that, the player is left on his own to figure out the game using the clues on the screen. A few simple changes to the user interface will dramatically improve this situation.
Sterner suggested I post this publicly to debate the effectiveness of this solution and seek feedback on the current mechanics to make them more easily understandable to the player. So I am asking for the opinion of those who have played the game, particularly those who have expressed they had trouble understanding the game mechanics at first glance.
Age of Sails
“Camp” Overhaul
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Age of Sail ‘Camp’ format is difficult for new players to understand. The individual battles are excellent, the ‘interbattle’ period is confusing to new players.
- 1.1. Camp is a holdover term from UG:CW. It needs to be immediately renamed ‘Strategic Map’ / Harbor for managing ships / Amory / Depot - all the primary pages work well but they need to be better explained and the graphic overlay merely relabeled.
- 1.2. On the Strategic Map, a legend needs to be positioned on the map graphically in one corner to explain the map. What does a ‘ship’ mean. What does a ‘cannon’ mean. What does a ‘?’ mean. Etc. This legend should be optional over the interface and dismissed with a click when the player is comfortable with his knowledge. The first two hours I played, I thought the ship on the strategic map was my own force. I can't be the only one.
- 1.3. The nondescript notification flags on the left side of the screen needs to be reorganized into ‘Urgent Dispatches’ and/or ‘Correspondence’ and 'Hearsay' to distinguish for the player what they are other than a color code they do not understand. The current format does not excite player involvement into their own progress. The messages all blend together. Reorganizing them will not only encourage a player to more carefully chose the missions he accepts or rejects, and allow the player to become more immersed in the game.
- 1.4. Tool tips should be added so players know what they are looking at easily
- Player needs a way to go back and read messages which were dismissed by accident and/or add a 'do you want to delete' button to ensure they actually read that detailed list of things the game just gave them.
- The Game Narrative needs to continue and when all chapters are done renamed logically to explain the story to those who might not be familiar, and help the player understand the game at all times.
- Research needs to be tweaked, it kind of makes no sense in its current form. You are simply given the opportunity to buy tech, there is no possibility to driving techs to match the player's style. It is kind of random and unfulfilling.
- Continue efforts to clean up the language problems and extract them from their hiding places - easy to say, very hard to do.
This is the rough idea. Simple, effective, graphic changes that show rather than tell the player what to do.
Based on your own personal experience playing the game, do you think this will help new players more easily understand the game? Based on your own experience, what do you see being most effective?
All helpful suggestions and replies are encouraged and we thank you in advance.
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Age of Sail ‘Camp’ format is difficult for new players to understand. The individual battles are excellent, the ‘interbattle’ period is confusing to new players.
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15 hours ago, WilliamTheIII said:
This topic has been discussed to great length and one thing seems certain, this system is not going away. I feel that the best way to make the RNG system more fun is to introduce a weighting system that makes certain techs more or less guaranteed over time. What are your thoughts on this idea or perhaps you have a different system you would like to suggest?
This is actually one of the smartest ways to do it knowing how the game is designed. It would correct the situation without requiring a ton of code changes. Just fine tune the method and agree on which techs are most important - and that might be the tricky part because the naval guys won't care about grenadiers and the land guys won't care about rigging weight.
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Ultimate Admiral: War at Sea
He who rules the waves, rules the world
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I love the Tony Kornheiser gif, btw
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2 hours ago, WilliamTheIII said:
So I am not sure if this is a troll or not based on the title and the fact that this isn't in the support thread but I will do my best to explain anyway.
Process:
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After successful purchase of at least the Commodore edition, you will receive an email:
- Press 'Download the game' which will result in an exe being downloaded in your web browser. Open and run it.
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You will be presented with a login. Note you will need to create a new account for the launcher and verify it:
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In the bottom right, you will see 'redeem key'. Press that and enter the code given to you in the email.
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After successfully redeeming the key, a blue button will appear that allows you to install the game.
- Note: If you are missing that email, the launcher doesn't download, the account isn't being create, nor the key actually working you need to contact xsolla who are the distributors of the game until the ea steam release.
- Note: Some times, malware protection tools such as malwarebytes may detect the game as harmful to your computer. If this happens, it is important to white list the folder as to allow updates.
- Note: I believe this has been fixed however, you may run into a visual c++ issue when trying to download the game despite already having it installed. Either use the repair tool or uninstall and then reinstall the visual and eventually, it will work.
Hope this helps and enjoy playing mate!
Thank you
Good luck, Mike. Please keep us posted.
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After successful purchase of at least the Commodore edition, you will receive an email:
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On 11/27/2019 at 9:23 PM, Legioneod said:
Whats the status on this? I really hope they are able to save her, I went visit her as a kid and it's very interesting the differences and similarities between the older dreadnoughts and ships like the Alabama.
It's a shame that Texas let it get so bad and risk losing a historic ship.
Just the opposite. Private investments have kept it operational. And the state of Texas just pumped a large amount of state funds into the ship. The problem was not the ship, but the fact it has been sitting in salt water for 100 years. The hull is paper thin in places. The cheap way would be to encase it in cement in its current location. The strategic long term option is to invest millions of dollars in state aid to refurbish the hull so the lower decks can be safely accessesed to make it a museum ship to be proud of for the next century.
It is highly unlikely to be returned to its current swamp next to the industrial farms and massive chemical plants.
I rather think Tillman Fertitata will cut a deal where it will be floating in Galveston next to his pleasure peir with a massive - and I mean massive - entertainment complex built around it when it is ready to sail home.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
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1 hour ago, Illya von Einzbern said:
they are also working on the Age of sail if i am correct.
It is from same guys and that is also really awesome game.Same publisher under the same aegis, but different individuals work on different aspects of different projects.
I've been tracking both projects for some time, and by the end of the day i truly believe they will both be awesome games.
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On 11/5/2019 at 2:51 PM, Skeksis said:
I think this thread is alittle unfair, if one reads back through the forum since announcement, Dev’s have commented on most of the feedback, they just don't repeat themselves again and again, why would they. I think most people have just missed there commentary from time to time.
As they say, they’re small teams and wouldn’t it be better, as they do, spend more time in development than pandering to this circle.
This is the answer you are looking for
I have been working with these guys on multiple projects for a while now. They are very small team, and very good at what they do. They are always, always, always collecting information and data feedback from the players; but they only really speak when there is something to say.
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On 11/7/2019 at 1:43 AM, oldsoldier said:
For those who have never seen the inside of a 1916 era Battleship, USS Texas, go visit her (Houston,TX) or You-Tube the tour. Interesting to see the cutting edge tech of that era, then the tech of the 1942 era USS Alabama (Mobile, Alabama). Understanding the era's and getting up close and personal with these ships will get you thinking. The USS Olympia a pre dreadnaught is also an interesting visit if in the Phildelphia area. The IJN Mikasa (Yokohama, Japan) is another pre Dreadnaught example.
Modeling the Battleships is also a way to get you thinking as well.
Imagine being on the HMS Hood, hatches dogged down, (cant be exposed on deck when big guns fire, concussion will kill you or throw you overboard) she takes that hit, she is blown in half, the bow half stands on end and take you down in three minutes. 1415 crew, 3 survivors. Or in the USS Arizona, bomb sets off magazine, you are in the armored tube somewhere, and then compressed like in a piston as the blast pulverizes you and your shipmates.
The subject of naval warfare from ironclad to battleship is interesting, and this game is a good look into that era.
USS Texas is no longer open to visitors.
As of October 1, she will no longer allows visitors aboard. She is in process of being packed up, her moorings cut away, and will be towed to a dry dock in Alabama large enough to scrape her hull and repair the armor plating which has been in salt water since it was launched and is paper thin in some places.
When the repairs are done, she will be towed back to the Houston area. Whether she will return to the cesspool of the Ship Channel in the shade of the San Jacinto Battleground is very unlikely. A new berth will be built for her in a better location, such as Galveston, and the museum ship will reopen to the next generation of visitors.
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On 5/22/2019 at 8:51 AM, Percival Merewether said:
That makes no sense
If modding is possible in this game then the developers already know. It will have absolutely no impact on whether France and/or Spain will be playable. I'm not requesting a feature so don't worry about me blocking your spanish dreams
, with modding available you may even be able to add Spain to the game yourself.
A game such as Naval Action is moddable, but your options are limited due to most of the data being stored on the server.. seeing as this is a Single Player game, there is no reason not to open the files to the public.
It's basically a yes/no question.
The short answer is 'yes'. If you possess the skill to mod a game, there is very little anyone can do to stop you. It is their game and their choice.
But considering that DarthMod is a valuable member of this gaming concern, I assure you the devs respect the skill that goes into making a quality mod that others might want to play. And if you make a mod so outstanding it drives people to buy their base game to play your mod on top of it, more power to you.
I've seen the quality these guys put out; it's hard to beat them, but you are more than welcome to try.
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On 10/17/2019 at 12:41 AM, Joryl said:
Wait... one of the developers is the darth mod guy from the total war games no wonder I like this game so much!?
Nick Thomadis = Darthmod
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Yes, it is not difficult to win, but you need to pay attention to the details.
The key is the quality of the torpedoes and the speed and acceleration of your ships. Slow ships will be sunk before they get into range, small torpedoes will bounce. If you use cheap torpedoes, you'll get cheap results. Meanwhile, one or two good hits with a legit torpedo will stop the dreadnought dead in the water and allow water and time to do their thing and sink the boat with minimal loss to your own crews.
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24 minutes ago, NuclearNadal said:
Yes it is, and again, I’ve seen the post about it. However based on the importance of the Torpedo in naval warfare, it feels quite important that it change and yes, I have posted about it before and perhaps to much but giving a scale of damage or in this case, non damage, is much better than a bunch of us whining and complaining a whole bunch until the damage it gotten right, multiple patches later.
Please, keep reporting all you see, it is very helpful. I admire your passion, but counsel patience. Torpedoes are already being prioritized, and I rather suspect will be again several more times before the end. If you think all will be fixed with one patch, you might be disappointed. Trial and error, trial and error.
You document hits, but not the size or type of torpedo, or mention the armor quality they are impacting. Surely you don't think a generation I 'Fish' torpedo would punch a hole in the USS Texas? Quick example: I invite you to revisit the US Mark 14 torpedo and its real world teething problems when the developers refused to believe the field reports regarding problems. Torpedoes are tricky beasts, and have come a long way since Admiral Howell instituted the first successful US torpedo development program back in 1890 because it was too expensive to buy them from Britain.
I'm not speaking for Nick, but this a matter of balancing armor quality and warhead efficacy based on technology. And it isn't happening in a vacuum, there are innumerable moving parts to this issue. This will remain one factor in a massive balancing act until the end of development. Because whenever you change this, it will affect not only what you are looking at but about 12 other things as well. Lots of minor tweaks happen behind the curtain.
Game development is a marathon, not a sprint. Some patience is required or you will burn out hyper-focusing on this one issue in a week rather than following the pack to the finish line. Just a suggestion on patterns I have seen before.
Good luck, and I hope to see you with us for some time to come.
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27 minutes ago, Tycondero said:
Not sure if you can answer this, but was the autoresolve producing plausible results?
Also, does the AI fight the AI? This is one of the things RTW was lacking and IMO that hurt the game.
Autoresolve was kind of hit or miss, more of a placeholder until they turn their full attention back to that aspect of the game. The campaign has a basic form, but it is far from polished.
It was an intriguing glimpse at what is coming next.
If I am guessing how Nick will procede, he is going to get the basic mechanics working first and then move up the chain of difficulty while constantly shuffling to keep everything balanced.
While he was designing The Civil War, I watched him put an AI on the field that was a pushover. It became so ferocious at one point the humans didn't stand a chance, and that evolved into the incredibly fun and well-balanced game we know today. He is exceptional at trying things, listening to feedback, and tweaking what needs to be tweaked.
What I like best is he believes in the word 'game' as something that should be fun and as historically accurate as possible without sacrificing enjoyability or play balance to secondary technical concerns. If its not fun, no one cares. Period.
Give him some time, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I can't wait.
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Regarding the campaign: Strategic control of the seas rather than tactical mastery is what I anticipate enjoying about this game. Like a TW campaign, I only fought the crucial battles and autoresolved the rest. But I spent hours crafting the kingdom from which those armies marched.
At one point, we had access to the embryonic campaign, and I played it as much as anyone.
Each major nation is represented and has a political/diplomatic element, a resource/production element, a research/design element, amongst other details.
You design new ships. The dockyards produce them using the national resources and financial resources available to that country to both create and sustain an ocean navy.
The world map is very sharp looking. All major nations / seas / areas you would expect to find are represented.
Production and technology factor into ship design and production. Upon christening, the ships join the designated fleet with a green level of experience. Basic training over time can bring that to regular level, but elite levels of training can only be accomplished under enemy fire.
Your fleets do as you tell them. These fleets protect your shores, or raid the distant shores of far away lands. Commerce raiding, shell a port, many fun ways to keep your enemy busy in many places.
What I have not seen is a naval training program, a ship captain promotion system, an admiral creation system, and many other possible enhancements; but I hear rumors.
Command and control needs to be tweaked, and will be. When small groups can easily be controlled, we can move to task groups, task forces, and full Jutland size fleet operations that sometimes look like two barbarian hordes running at each other across the open prairie.
It should be a very fun ride.
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So this was fun.
Going through the Naval Academy exercises I stumbled upon the last mission: the modern BB.
I built ONE gorgeous battleship, similar to a North Carolina but with a battery of triple 8" guns on each side. Best available options in all areas. Using all the cash and weight allotted.
Game opens, the 16" naval rifles start barking at targets WAAAAAY on the other side of the map. Shells start falling among them, they scatter because they can't see me. And I"m the Bismark vs. the Hood.
Foolishly, I close to get a better angle, and a couple hundred shots a minute start pinging off my hull. Like Stalin said, quantity has a quality all its own. I felt like the Yamato against Taffy III at the Battle of Savo Island in Leyte Gulf.
I took some of their ships out, but they killed me in the end by swarm tactics and a never ending rain of steel from above and fish below.
Next up, a North Carolina with two rear facing turrets and absolutely no hurry to catch up to the enemy with the speed to create separation quickly.
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On 10/7/2019 at 10:36 PM, Faolind said:
Hi! New member just want to put in a request for printable tech readouts on ships we create. I want to be able to save, show off, and compare ship designs outside of game, creating a readout export is the best way to accomplish it and I can nerd out to my friends about this game and try to get them to join too.
Also, the export feature will allow sharing of ship designs online so that players can compare strategies or write game guides using the data.Yes, the ability to save ships would be very, very nice for people who want to save their best ships between games. A very good idea here, and I think it has been mentioned by others before.
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17 minutes ago, Matto said:
First words ... great work, great idea ... please finish it! I'm Rule the Waves player and I see this like great improvement ...
Some feedback from battles:
- I saw many hits by torpedoes (about six to BB) and no sink ... it should be balanced
- I tried ram BB by CA ... full speed, from side ... no damage, it should be balanced
- my BB fired on TB at really close distance ... only 5% possibility to hit, it should be balanced
- it looks repair teams at early ships are really effective ... I would like to see more damage progress over time ...
in an early version, I hit one BB with 50+ torpedoes and did not sink it and reported this to Nick as a bug, who told me to check the armor value of the target and the size of the torpedoes. The torpedoes were ancient and the armor was very high tech. No wonder they bounced.
What we learned early was the size and tech of the torpedo matters greatly. Big fat torpedo sink big fat ships, small torpedos scratch the paint unless it hits a vital area. Look at this again is my suggestion, torpedoes are very fun to play with but take some finesse.
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12 hours ago, TBRSIM said:
Something I did triggered the development console while loading combat. How do you close it? It is annoying...
Aye, it is.
Look for a little bitty check box at the top right corner, iirc.
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1 hour ago, Winterthrust said:
I am sadly out of funds this month to spend on new games, but this looks gorgeous
This game is very good. But even after a tremendous amount of work, is still in its infancy,
By the time next few months roll around it will be in kindergarten.
Can you imagine what it will look like by the time it gets its PdD?
Darth takes his craft very, very seriously. And for that we should all rejoice.
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I am loving this game!
- Target Practice - first ship was sleek with accurate 10" guns and failed. Second ship was slow, mounted 12" guns, and had virtually no armor. We used HE to set the enemy BB on fire, while she burned we used AP to hammer her hull. She sank like a stone.
- Gun Basics I - Light cruiser sunk on first try using same tactics from previous build. HUGE UPGRADE are the visuals on the left of the screen, things work much more fluidly and seem to behave as one would expect.
- Gun basics II - built first ship for speed and got whacked. Second ship was heavily armored, carried torpedos and accurate 10" guns with explosives upgrade. Burned him down, immoblized him, finished him with torpedoes.
- Speed Basics, overtook the DD on the first by maximizing propulsion and discarding armor and weaponry
- Speed Basics II, built a wicked fast light cruiser mounting a 5" gun that burned down the DD from behind. It was a sleek vessel and fun to design.
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Torpedo boats - am not doing well. I figured out how to separate the ships into separate groups, but in three tries have maybe gotten 1 torpedo hit on the BB and not close to bringing it down - suggestions?
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Per Darth:
Try to make TBs fast and maneuverable, so that they can safely approach the BB. If you overload them and their acceleration is poor, they will be destroyed.
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- Torpedo Boats, Part Deaux: extra funds, 3x Torpedo Boats carrying 3x 18" torpedos each capable of doing 30.5 Knots. One torpedo boat lost, one damage, BB sunk by two hits and some time to allow water to do its thing. (You would almost think Darth knows what he is talking about, no?)
- To be continued.
Early results: It's fun. And it will be a lot more fun as time goes by!
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On 12/13/2018 at 5:40 PM, sterner said:
We are going to add 2 campaigns describing biography of Nelson and John Paul Jones.
Add a campaign for US Constitution. That is a fun ship to sail the open waters with.
And, yes, only Anglo-American fleets matter. 😎
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If I am not on the list, and I assume I am, you know I can't wait to help out with this in any way, shape, form or fashion you may desire.
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WoWS has many good parts, but also many maddening points.
In particular, the design that allows mass firing of torpedoes 'just because' and hiding, hoping they hit something. And this is encouraged. So gamey.
I am looking forward to being able to field the entire fleet, from capital ships to escorts, as one coherent unit.
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, with modding available you may even be able to add Spain to the game yourself.
Reorganizing AoS Strategic Narrative
in General discussions
Posted
My thought is even one or two pop up screens with introductory information for the first few boot ups of a game, then click the box and make it go away forever. But at least the player has some clue about what to do next.
This game is simply too good to let these little details drag it down. I am sure you agree.
The main problem, to me, is the results of major battles get lost in the shuffle of paper. All this effort goes into describing the battle and then 'that happened' at the end in some cases. It isn't hard to fix.