Topic: Empire04 suggestions

Both are referring to texts.lua:

• The road cleanup criteria from amalea_20 should be moved or copied to the objective description obj_clear_roads (with the appropriate changes), so that it is possible to look up later.

• It would be helpful if there was more specific advice at the end of amalea_1 on which buildings should be prevented from getting the building materials. Maybe players are expected at this stage to figure out by themselves that they should set demand for planks and columns to 0, and limit storage at the sawmill and the stonemason's to 2 pieces, but it's easy to forget about the toolsmith (fortunately he only stocks up the logs until he gets iron, so they are easily recovered) and the weapon smith - he's the real problem, because he'll happily create demand for planks and use them up until he filled up the barracks and HQ with wooden spears...

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tothxa wrote:

Both are referring to texts.lua:

• The road cleanup criteria from amalea_20 should be moved or copied to the objective description obj_clear_roads (with the appropriate changes), so that it is possible to look up later.

well, this is twosided. The scenarios that I made reward reading the text carefully (as it cost me much time to write them and polish them). So I am reluctant to have everything in the objectives, because it would encourage clicking the messages away. On the other hand one might want to save and come back later on, and we might forget the hint until then. In this case nothing is dependent on the fulfilment of this objective so I'd rather prefer not to include this in the objective.

• It would be helpful if there was more specific advice at the end of amalea_1 on which buildings should be prevented from getting the building materials. Maybe players are expected at this stage to figure out by themselves that they should set demand for planks and columns to 0, and limit storage at the sawmill and the stonemason's to 2 pieces, but it's easy to forget about the toolsmith (fortunately he only stocks up the logs until he gets iron, so they are easily recovered) and the weapon smith - he's the real problem, because he'll happily create demand for planks and use them up until he filled up the barracks and HQ with wooden spears...

Well, exactly. The player already should know about this and I am no friend of giving him a 1 by 1 cooking recipe to solve the scenario. I'd prefer him thinking of this by himself as otherwise the learning curve would only consist of do what you are told.

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hessenfarmer wrote:

tothxa wrote:

Both are referring to texts.lua:

• The road cleanup criteria from amalea_20 should be moved or copied to the objective description obj_clear_roads (with the appropriate changes), so that it is possible to look up later.

well, this is twosided. The scenarios that I made reward reading the text carefully (as it cost me much time to write them and polish them). So I am reluctant to have everything in the objectives, because it would encourage clicking the messages away.

Indeed, that's a good point. However this is a special case:

On the other hand one might want to save and come back later on, and we might forget the hint until then.

Also it's quite technical, so it's easy to get unsure about the numbers. Well, for me anyway. So I had to look up the source to check it.

BTW I'm still only guessing that lone buildings at the end of the road count as dead-ends... this should be clarified too.

In this case nothing is dependent on the fulfilment of this objective so I'd rather prefer not to include this in the objective.

Nothing but the player's satisfaction.

• It would be helpful if there was more specific advice at the end of amalea_1 on which buildings should be prevented from getting the building materials. Maybe players are expected at this stage to figure out by themselves that they should set demand for planks and columns to 0, and limit storage at the sawmill and the stonemason's to 2 pieces, but it's easy to forget about the toolsmith (fortunately he only stocks up the logs until he gets iron, so they are easily recovered) and the weapon smith - he's the real problem, because he'll happily create demand for planks and use them up until he filled up the barracks and HQ with wooden spears...

Well, exactly. The player already should know about this and I am no friend of giving him a 1 by 1 cooking recipe to solve the scenario. I'd prefer him thinking of this by himself as otherwise the learning curve would only consist of do what you are told.

I didn't mean to give exact instructions either, just some vague hint about the smiths or something. Though I may still have forgotten about them by the time I could have gotten to them... even though I always set the weaponsmith to only use planks in the beginning, so I should be well aware of him using it.

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tothxa wrote:

Also it's quite technical, so it's easy to get unsure about the numbers. Well, for me anyway. So I had to look up the source to check it.

BTW I'm still only guessing that lone buildings at the end of the road count as dead-ends... this should be clarified too.

well the advice says a flag with only one road which is not the case for a flag with a building and a road (you may count the buildings entrance as road.

In this case nothing is dependent on the fulfilment of this objective so I'd rather prefer not to include this in the objective.

Nothing but the player's satisfaction.

ok I agree we could add some advice to the objective after Amalea has given the second advice

• It would be helpful if there was more specific advice at the end of amalea_1 on which buildings should be prevented from getting the building materials. Maybe players are expected at this stage to figure out by themselves that they should set demand for planks and columns to 0, and limit storage at the sawmill and the stonemason's to 2 pieces, but it's easy to forget about the toolsmith (fortunately he only stocks up the logs until he gets iron, so they are easily recovered) and the weapon smith - he's the real problem, because he'll happily create demand for planks and use them up until he filled up the barracks and HQ with wooden spears...

Well, exactly. The player already should know about this and I am no friend of giving him a 1 by 1 cooking recipe to solve the scenario. I'd prefer him thinking of this by himself as otherwise the learning curve would only consist of do what you are told.

I didn't mean to give exact instructions either, just some vague hint about the smiths or something. Though I may still have forgotten about them by the time I could have gotten to them... even though I always set the weaponsmith to only use planks in the beginning, so I should be well aware of him using it.

Well anything more specific than the current advice might be to specific imho.

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hessenfarmer wrote:

tothxa wrote:

As I go on with translating:

A question: Is it intentional that the temple is called a monastery in most strings? I mean it may make sense as long as it's just a rumour, but even Saledus calls it that when he suggests conquering it.

The temple is only the Warehouse building. It is the main building of the monastery though, which consists of a handful of buildings around the temple.

Ah, OK. I'll try to come up with a translation according to this... I just don't have good candidates that could apply to the ancient Roman theme...

[smiths' wood use]

Well anything more specific than the current advice might be to specific imho.

How about adding a "Think over carefully who might be using them." though?

Also, as this is intentional, the player should be warned in the beginning, as even the 3rd scenario gives quite specific instructions. I have an idea that fits nicely in the story line: Amalea spends most of her time looking for problems anyway, so she could say something like this at the start: "I'll be busy examining the economy, so I won't be here to help you as much as I'd like. I know you can handle this alone. I'll report regularly if I find more problems."

As for not giving 1:1 cooking recipes: "Don’t forget to forge weapons and armor for them." in obj_recruit_soldiers. Now, this one is really unnecessary by this time.

You are absolutely right. we should remove this to unclutter the objectives. Thanks for the discussion anyway makes me rethink some stuf which is always a value at its own.

OK, I'll leave it to you then.

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