Matrix Games Forums

Erik: I'm trying to drum up interest in the game and the upcoming expansion. Sadly the videos available of the gameplay are putting prospective players off. Can you please invest some time in making interesting gameplay videos for the Legends expansion so we can point prospective Space 4X players to them.The lag in previous videos has been mentioned. I don't have a link to the exact one which the forum poster watched but they weren't impressed. We all know the great game that lies beneath, please showcase it with some great videos that we can then post links to on our favourite forums.

Actually, I don't think videos can help here, since this really is not a game about funny screenshots. I think let's play threads do a much better job for games like this. But I am no beta tester, so cannot do that...

Also, developer diaries help with games like these.

Yeah indepth AAR reports are the best sellers for strategy games in my view.A video is never going to impress casual players with it being a 2d top down game.

Will there be new music added in Legends? I love RotS music, hope to see more in Legends.

Great update Eric!

Really looking forward to the expansion.

Only thing I hope is that late game the Character part doesn´t end in a micro management clickfest and can be automated as well
as the rest of DW.

Man, can't wait for this game. A couple quick questions in the meantime:

1) Can we see a screenshot of what's in Show Event History for a character?

2) Do you mind if I name my firstborn Kweeki Woppit?

ORIGINAL: Cauldyth
Do you mind if I name my firstborn Kweeki Woppit?

If you are from America, I think the only person who would object is your first born. [:D][;)]

It is a cool game, and there is a lot of excitement about it, as well there should be!

looking good!

I think your DW resources (strategic and luxuries) are great. And the technology dependence on certain resources (components dependence on resources) is brilliant. However, in my view you don't take advantage of all that power. In my games I never feel any lack of resources (it's just a matter of time till freighters get them around). So, I was never not allowed to build whatever I wanted. This seems like fun because there are no restrictions, but in a strategy game it is in fact the opposite. Resources need to be scarcer and possibly spread unevenly throughout the galaxy. This would lead to more careful trading decisions and to war (and this is why in my opinion some people complain that DW is still too peaceful). So, in order to spice up the game and turn it even more strategically-rich the game should feature an option at game start to instruct the game how rare resources should be and possibly also how uneven they should be spread across the galaxy. If more-peaceful folks want it like it is now, then they would not need to tweak these options. I know this is not something that can be implemented over night. There's a ton of balancing that would need to be done to make it work. I guess this is something that could be considered for DW2.

i'm a definite +1 to the above.

very much looking forward to Legends

Niiiiiice. [Runs offstage to rearrange life for next year...]

@AdamSolo & Evil Steve - As a player I too would like a more challenging resource distribution. I think the problem comes from the ... computer... not having the capacity to deal with this. If it comes down to a slight challenge for me versus a massive handicap for the computer I'll want to stick with the way it is.

Erik,

There are some nice looking new icons above the mini-map. Care to fill us in on their function?

G'day,

@AdamSolo & Evil Steve - As a player I too would like a more challenging resource distribution. I think the problem comes from the ... computer... not having the capacity to deal with this. If it comes down to a slight challenge for me versus a massive handicap for the computer I'll want to stick with the way it is.

I'll also put my hand up for a more challenging resource distribution.

I really don't think it would be that hard to implement. Leave everything - resource wise - as is and provide a slider for the player to adjust at the start of the game.

Tweaking the slider simply provides a multiplier to all your resource costs. A higher setting would have everything cost twice or three times as much (eg. instead of needing 3 lead for a component you now need 6 or even 9). All of a sudden resources mean something and you'd probably find yourself hitting shortages.

Doesn't affect the AI at all. Same amount of resources are still on the map and their costs haven't changed, only the players.

Just a thought.

Cheers,
Lancer

not as excited about the leader system as i was now that i see the kind of bonuses they give (mostly just the same bonuses you get from other places making it look kinda like busywork), but the borders system look like it will make for much more interesting colonizing

Another vote for more challenging strategic resource distribution.

In most games there will be one or two strategic resources that prove to be difficult to secure - such as Carbon Fibre etc. Securing this resource through colonisation or diplomacy becomes very important and to me is one of my favourite aspects of Distant Worlds. The UI doesn't really give accessible information about this - which could also be useful - perhaps through some helper dialogs with characters. "Sire, the only source of Carbon Fibre in the region has come under the control of the Sluken's. Perhaps you should do something about this?"

When you know how to identify the need and locate these resource planets it makes the game soooo much better strategically.

I think we'd all like the strategic resources to be improved and actually used in the game. But unless that was kept in mind the minute they started making the expansion, it would be way too late to start doing it now. It would take lots of time to balance and have the AI appreciate the importance of such resources. I think it's more sensible to ask for that in the(hopefully) next expansion.

For this one I'd ask for either some kind of component modding or fuelusage/speed/hyperspeed/constructionspeed sliders( or settings in an editable file). That would allow completely changing the pace of the game and hopefully provide a very different experience.

ORIGINAL: Das123

Another vote for more challenging strategic resource distribution.

In most games there will be one or two strategic resources that prove to be difficult to secure - such as Carbon Fibre etc. Securing this resource through colonisation or diplomacy becomes very important and to me is one of my favourite aspects of Distant Worlds. The UI doesn't really give accessible information about this - which could also be useful - perhaps through some helper dialogs with characters. "Sire, the only source of Carbon Fibre in the region has come under the control of the Sluken's. Perhaps you should do something about this?"

When you know how to identify the need and locate these resource planets it makes the game soooo much better strategically.

That sounds like a good idea. I don't know for sure, but I don't think it would be that hard for AI to recognise that, for example, Carbon Fibre is the most expensive and the rarerst resource in galaxy. And then advisor pops up and notifies you of this and also of who owns it.
There is an option in your UI already to list the prices and stocks of all resources, so we already can find out the info that you are talking about, but a character informing us of this would be nicer.

And if your empire hasn't discovered the system and the planet where Carbon Fibre is located, then you wouldn't get notified.

Did you expect leaders to have effects unknown to the current game?

We see signs of spies having different skill bonuses to different tasks. The troop general too. I can't seem to see a picture of an admiral, but for admirals it is possible to have bonuses that make you create a custom fleet (bonus to different types of weapons).

If the leaders are all simple passive bonuses to growth, etc, it is something that is a little optimization game on its own. The right planetary guy on the correct planet. If admirals have traits that trigger different weapons, you may change ship building strategy based on a leader. If a research guy got special bonuses, you may decide on different early game tech based on your top researcher.

I think it looks good, much better than feared

ORIGINAL: lancer

G'day,

@AdamSolo & Evil Steve - As a player I too would like a more challenging resource distribution. I think the problem comes from the ... computer... not having the capacity to deal with this. If it comes down to a slight challenge for me versus a massive handicap for the computer I'll want to stick with the way it is.

I'll also put my hand up for a more challenging resource distribution.

I really don't think it would be that hard to implement. Leave everything - resource wise - as is and provide a slider for the player to adjust at the start of the game.

Tweaking the slider simply provides a multiplier to all your resource costs. A higher setting would have everything cost twice or three times as much (eg. instead of needing 3 lead for a component you now need 6 or even 9). All of a sudden resources mean something and you'd probably find yourself hitting shortages.

Doesn't affect the AI at all. Same amount of resources are still on the map and their costs haven't changed, only the players.

Just a thought.

Cheers,
Lancer

Although your resource multiplier proposal (e.g. 6 carbon instead of 3) would turn resources less abundant alright, and it would probably be simple to implement, it would however only lead the player to feel the need to build more mining stations and invest more in faster mining techs. Although that would require the player to invest more on resources extraction that was not my point.

Resources should be spread unevenly across the galaxy and some of them should be made rarer to find. This would put more emphasis on eXploration and eXpansion phases and the player would be forced to make more challenging decisions (like building a colony very far away from the rest of the empire, or inside the heart of their not-so-friendly race borders). So, in order to use some advanced components, more advanced bases and ships you would be forced to expand more carefully, seek trade, and if you'd need a particular resource badly then your only choice would be war.

So, it's not a question of making it harder to extract resources in your empire only, it is about forcing the player to seek resources outside their borders. Maybe some resources could be obtained through trade with a particular race, but if the race is not willing to do trade with you maybe they would understand your reasons better through other means ... Now this would be my idea of fun.

ORIGINAL: Raap

I think we'd all like the strategic resources to be improved and actually used in the game. But unless that was kept in mind the minute they started making the expansion, it would be way too late to start doing it now. It would take lots of time to balance and have the AI appreciate the importance of such resources. I think it's more sensible to ask for that in the(hopefully) next expansion.

I agree, this would most probably be out of the question for Legends (due to heavy balancing testing needs, AI and UI tweaking). More for a next expansion or for DW2 I guess. But I reinforce that this would take DW to the next level (strategically speaking) in my opinion.

The resource game in general, from where it is found to how it is moved around, is something that would be nice to see addressed in what would probably have to be DW2. Optimizing trade flow is hardly a big concern in the current game, but it would be fun to have added some more visible meaning to space stations and star bases.

Basic resources with uneven distribution could wreck certain starting positions. It sounds like a possible game breaker.

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

Basic resources with uneven distribution could wreck certain starting positions. It sounds like a possible game breaker.

That's why it needs to be in a next expansion with a considerable amount of balancing testing required. Moreover the point for me is not fool around with basic resources so much but with resources required to build advanced components, bases and ships.