Serious Considerations

[darthsmaul]

I can see both points, but I would like to see what happens since I watch the history file evey time but I can see why some might not, me I need the visual, helps me figure out how to counter my opponenet better I think, see what they are trying to do.

love the game

steve

[EricSilver_MatrixForum]

Some people like one option, while others like the second option. So just give the user the chance to choose if he wants to see the turn or not.

IMHO, I prefer to watch the AI's actions while they are happening.

[;)]

[hazxan]

ORIGINAL: I.C.
I personally find it odd that many are saying they like waiting and seeing that blank screen for minutes at a time.
This is the only game I own that does this.
The sad fact is that if you are telling people this is OK, the devs will never change it.

I'm not one of those people who will say nothing if I think something does not work, and IMO, it doesn't.
Its a 'player lock-out'. A feature of the game that locks out player participation for minutes at a time - a big game spoiler.

Sorry guys. I have total respect but this doesn't work -and as long as people say 'its ok' it will never get fixed.

I totally agree with you, I.C. I believe you've made a perfectly valid, well reasoned criticism. Getting fed up with the Screen Of Utter Tedium is one reason why I haven't started AT for over a month now. [>:]

AT's implementation of a blank screen is a total contrast with most PC wargames. I'm really shocked that anyone dare use the defence of "it has to be like that". It clearly doesn't. To me it's one glaring howler of an error in an otherwise good game. And I agree that we need to keep it's profile high in order to improve the game.

Clearly tastes vary, but I experience it as a 'lock-out' too. I call it a 'flow-breaker', it's the opposite of the 'one more turn fever' you get in other games.

BTW In common with everybody else whose mentioned this problem, my PC is not obsolete. It plays other resource demanding games (aren't they all these days?) perfectly. If AT has to do an order of magnitude more processing per turn than any other current game, then it has a design flaw. A design should work in it's destination environment. I do not play huge scenarios (for obvious reasons!) . I like watching the AI turns in TOAW and more-or-less every other strategy game ever made. And if anybody is now saying the game is primarily PBEM, I feel I have been mis-sold the game and would like a refund.

If Vic ever does bring out a version that has no Screen Of Utter Tedium and takes a max of 5 seconds for an AI turn, I'll assume that those who defend the way it is now wouldn't download it because it would interfere with whatever they're doing during the S.O.U.T [;)]

ORIGINAL: montarakid

Twotribes, I think seille is probably right in that the AI calculations are so fast that you'd have a very difficult time trying to follow the moves visually, even if you had the chance.

No, the problem is that the AI calculations are too slow!

[zook08]

Just my 2 cents on the topic.

1) Quoting Vic from another thread:

"Nope AT does not use duo or quad core. This is because i coded the application as one thread.
However owning a duo or quad core machine does allow for very smooth multitasking while the AI is calculating."

"actually using multiple threads for your caculations is not an easy thing to implement. if you want to use multiple processors the AI thought process will need to be designed in such a way that it is not linear. to be honest i dont think this will be patch material."

If I'm not completely mistaken, to watch the map, scroll around, see the AI move and maybe examine unit stats while the AI is working, you'd need at least two separate threads (regardless of single or dual core). If the application isn't designed from the start to handle multiple threads, it never will, or not without spending a year on rewriting half the code.

2) The AI quality is worth the wait. Not saying that turn time couldn't be improved, but probably not significantly. Asking for either a refund or 5 second turns, in a game of that complexity and with a capably AI, is IMO somewhere on the childish side of wishful thinking. It's wanting to have your cake and eat it. Real strategy games are not meant to be real-time strategy. Are not, can not and never will be.

3) Playing the WaW monster scenario gave me an opportunity to prepare some shushi for the evening, play the next turn, then clean the kitchen (for the first time in quite a while), play another turn, write some longish emails I had put off for days, then play another turn. If the AI didn't take as long as it does, I wouldn't have done any of that.

4) Besides, I'm usually impatient in my games, too. But finding out that turns take a loooong time *in this scenario* actually made me really think about my long-term strategy. I didn't want to waste a precious move, knowing that I can play only a couple of turns per evening. No need to rush things, because you can't. No temptation to hit the "End Turn" button before you're really done. It sounds paradoxically, but the longer the AI took for its turns, the longer I took for mine, and although the waiting is still a bit annoying, my gaming experience (i.e. fun) has somehow increased. The less you get, the more you value it. Weird, eh?

Hooray for one-hour turns!

[Banquet]

I wouldn't want faster turn times if it made the AI worse and I have got used to looking at that blank screen now, but it does seem odd to me that you spend 'x' amount of time looking at a blank screen while the AI moves, followed by 'x' amount of time scrolling back through the AI moves once your turn begins.

Even if it slightly adds to the turn time, I'd rather view the AI moves while the AI is making them. It would at least give us something to watch and save some time later reviewing the moves. However I understand Vic is a indie dev, not a huge company and so can't do everything, and it certainly doesn't spoil an excellent game for me

[rickier65]

ORIGINAL: Banquet

I wouldn't want faster turn times if it made the AI worse and I have got used to looking at that blank screen now, but it does seem odd to me that you spend 'x' amount of time looking at a blank screen while the AI moves, followed by 'x' amount of time scrolling back through the AI moves once your turn begins.

Even if it slightly adds to the turn time, I'd rather view the AI moves while the AI is making them. It would at least give us something to watch and save some time later reviewing the moves. However I understand Vic is a indie dev, not a huge company and so can't do everything, and it certainly doesn't spoil an excellent game for me

My sentiments exactly. It would be nice, I think it would improve the game, but it certainly isn't a game breaker as it is. Good AI is more important to me.

Rick