few feedback

[mimo]

Thanks for this great game. I've just tried it and find it in a very good shape for an alpha version.

Here are a few feedback I could give, if useful :

- important slow-down of the game from time to time : browsing the forum, I understand it is due to pathfinding and being fixed. That would be very nice.

- farms : that's really annoying to have always to rebuild farms. A possibility to have workers rebuild farms automatically when out of ressource would be quite usefull (I've seen on the forum that there was already some discussions about it)

also, it seems that farms can be build nearly everywhere. Fine, but may-be their productivity should depend on the quality of the terrain ?

- sheeps : here also, it's quite annoying to have to click everytime to have new sheeps. May-be a possibility to define the size of our sheep herd would help. Then automatically, each time a sheep would be killed for meat, another one would be produced.

in addition, it seems we have to ask workers to kill sheeps one by one. It would be useful if worker would go to the next sheep when having finished with the current one. With the previous option to define the size of the herd, we could avoid any micro-management on it.

- markets : they are really usefull, but we always have to go back to the market to buy missing ressources.

With farms and sheeps, food is basically unlimitted. So we could have an option which would do : when food > N and any other ressource < n, then sell automatically food to buy the missing ressource. From the game I've played, N=3000 and n=500 would be fine as default, but the user could be able to tune it.

in addition, this could help the AI. From the two games I've played, the AI is very strong at the beginning of the game, but fails lamentably in the end game if we've succeeded to resist its first assaults. I've the impression that it is because the AI does not deal well with missing ressources : this automated market could may-be help.

thanks again for this game.

[ribez]

- markets : they are really usefull, but we always have to go back to the market to buy missing ressources.

With farms and sheeps, food is basically unlimitted. So we could have an option which would do : when food > N and any other ressource < n, then sell automatically food to buy the missing ressource. From the game I've played, N=3000 and n=500 would be fine as default, but the user could be able to tune it.

in addition, this could help the AI. From the two games I've played, the AI is very strong at the beginning of the game, but fails lamentably in the end game if we've succeeded to resist its first assaults. I've the impression that it is because the AI does not deal well with missing ressources : this automated market could may-be help.

totally agree with you about the market

[bioinfornatics]

I agree too

[historic_bruno]

also, it seems that farms can be build nearly everywhere. Fine, but may-be their productivity should depend on the quality of the terrain ?

While it could be argued this is more "realistic", we're really not an agriculture simulator, our farms are just an approximation I wouldn't be surprised if we added technologies that allow the user to improve farm production, or if there were civ-based bonuses for that.

- sheeps : here also, it's quite annoying to have to click everytime to have new sheeps. May-be a possibility to define the size of our sheep herd would help. Then automatically, each time a sheep would be killed for meat, another one would be produced.

I think the intention for sheep and some other domestic animals is that they will be corralled, which will provide a steady supply of resources (approximating milk, new offspring, etc.) Instead of killing the animal for meat, you would normally take it to a corral. Read about that here.

in addition, it seems we have to ask workers to kill sheeps one by one. It would be useful if worker would go to the next sheep when having finished with the current one. With the previous option to define the size of the herd, we could avoid any micro-management on it.

This sounds like a bug, it might be my fault.

in addition, this could help the AI. From the two games I've played, the AI is very strong at the beginning of the game, but fails lamentably in the end game if we've succeeded to resist its first assaults. I've the impression that it is because the AI does not deal well with missing ressources : this automated market could may-be help.

The AI should definitely take advantage of markets, both bartering that we have now and trade which is yet to come. I don't really like the idea of having "auto-bartering", because people have different strategies that are hard to combine into a coherent option, and it doesn't seem too hard to barter manually.

[mimo]

Thanks for the answers.

Concerning farms, it is now just too easy to have food, you just build a few farms and you are fine. So always the same strategy whatever the map, that's a pity because you have such different and nice maps.

With farm productivity depending on the terrain, we would have to adapt to the map : for exemple in the oasis map, we would have to start with hunting and try to go towards the oasis to build productive farms. Or in the canyon map, we would be forced to go down to the river to build farms. I've played with these two maps, and always win with the same strategy : fortify your starting base, build a few farms, try to find the other ressources, otherwise buy them at the market, and wait for the AI to exhaust itself.

Farm productivity depending on the terrain would force us to change our strategy depending on the map.

For sheeps, I did not know how to use corral. I'll try it next time. Thanks for the info.

For markets, yes, bartering manually is easy, but annoying as it is always in the middle of a battle that you have to go back to the market when you need urgently some reinforcement. And if you need a lot of it, it will be more expensive. Going back regurlarly to the market to buy some missing resources without paying too much is possible, but boring.

I agree that different people have different strategies, but if auto-bartering is configurable (and even can be switch off), I do not see any drawback ?

[quantumstate]

Farm productivity depending on the terrain would force us to change our strategy depending on the map.

I think there is a need to make other food sources more attractive with the current state of the game. This idea sounds interesting but could be potentially confusing (guessing where farming is possible) or too restrictive for players. With the phases idea which will come with technology, farm building could be delayed until later in the game forcing use of other food sources. The other main alternative is to use different gathering speeds weighted strongly enough that there will be enough disadvantage to the farm only approach.

For sheeps, I did not know how to use corral. I'll try it next time. Thanks for the info.

This isn't implemented yet, currently corrals just train animals which you would have to kill.

For markets, yes, bartering manually is easy, but annoying as it is always in the middle of a battle that you have to go back to the market when you need urgently some reinforcement. And if you need a lot of it, it will be more expensive. Going back regurlarly to the market to buy some missing resources without paying too much is possible, but boring.

I agree that different people have different strategies, but if auto-bartering is configurable (and even can be switch off), I do not see any drawback ?

The drawback is defining a UI which is easy enough to use and doesn't cause massive confusion for new players, the other key thing is programming manpower which is limited so these kind of features take lower priority. I would guess that with a button which would open an auto bartering panel it would be possible to come up with a reasonable UI. The lack of manpower means that this is unlikely to get into the first release unless someone outside the team decides to implement it.

[mimo]

I think there is a need to make other food sources more attractive with the current state of the game. This idea sounds interesting but could be potentially confusing (guessing where farming is possible) or too restrictive for players. With the phases idea which will come with technology, farm building could be delayed until later in the game forcing use of other food sources. The other main alternative is to use different gathering speeds weighted strongly enough that there will be enough disadvantage to the farm only approach.

when I was saying "farm productivity depending on the terrain", it was equivalent to "gathering speed depending on the terrain". Something like normal speed in plains, reduced speed in desert except near an oasis) or on rock would already be something interesting. But that's true that if other features (like progress in technology during the game) are foreseen to deal with that, that could also bring more choices in the strategy.

The drawback is defining a UI which is easy enough to use and doesn't cause massive confusion for new players, the other key thing is programming manpower which is limited so these kind of features take lower priority. I would guess that with a button which would open an auto bartering panel it would be possible to come up with a reasonable UI. The lack of manpower means that this is unlikely to get into the first release unless someone outside the team decides to implement it.

yes, I fully understand the argument of manpower Unfortunately, I'm not fluent enough in c++ to help.

thanks for the answers, and for providing this good game.

[quantumstate]

yes, I fully understand the argument of manpower Unfortunately, I'm not fluent enough in c++ to help.

This part of the code is written in Javascript, as is most of the gameplay and UI.

[Mythos_Ruler]

What about using the furrows terrains as areas where farming is bonused? There can be slightly unique furrows terrains for each biome and they would simulate rich "farmlands." Check out the central area of the map "Gallic Fields" for an example.