Initial Reactions/Impressions
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 6:52 pm
1. It looks like they modeled the computer game manual off of the board game manual. It's really rules based rather than the useful approach computer games use centered around "How do I get X done". I've basically figured it out by trial and error. The complexity of rules is not nearly as bad as say a Victoria in Paradox but there is a lot I am trying to figure out in trial and error which could be more quickly established by a computer game manual. Which the game does not have,
2. So basically one guy coded this. I think it's a good effort for one programmer.
3. There are a lot of bugs in the game but its in playable form so far. The AI seems somewhat unskilled but hopefully this will be remedied.
4. There should be a TCPIP version of this game for live multiplayer games. Given the state of the AI I bet establishing this would be easier than
5. The user interface is a little archaic. I think revising it a bit given the improvements in UI desing in the last 3-4 years would help a lot. Just how you move units around, concepts such as hotkeys etc would make a big difference.
6. Some board to computer games are translations and others are evolutions into computer games. This so far is mostly a port/translation effort. That's fine but I'd like to see a little more evolution (I recognize you just had to get the game out as the community was getting ornery (sp).
7. This one is important to me but I recognize not important to all. I like a pretty map with the ability to do a high resolution and colors showing changes in ownership clearly. While others may not view this as important, I think MOST wargamers inherantly loves maps. The EIA map in itself is a pretty one --I actually like it better than the paradox maps. But I'd love to see improvements in how change of controls are displayed -on the main map. The conquered display is just kinda iffy. The current resolution is also too low for modern computers. An advanced version with crisper colors/detail would be super nice.
In short, I think people should buy it. If you are an EIA diehard. Always wanted to play but couldn't you should buy it. If you are a newbie to EIA you can figure it out with some trial and error despite not having a traditional gaming manual. But if you are a gamer you should own a copy, and support the development and advancement of the game. I'd be willing to push my friends to buy the game if I got a sense from Matrix that upgrades/advancements along the line of 1) TCPIP 2) AI (less important if you get TCPIP working) 3) improvements in the map/user interface and addressing bugs.
Anyway--those are my first initial impressions. Hope it helps if people were wondering what they were getting when buying the game.
2. So basically one guy coded this. I think it's a good effort for one programmer.
3. There are a lot of bugs in the game but its in playable form so far. The AI seems somewhat unskilled but hopefully this will be remedied.
4. There should be a TCPIP version of this game for live multiplayer games. Given the state of the AI I bet establishing this would be easier than
5. The user interface is a little archaic. I think revising it a bit given the improvements in UI desing in the last 3-4 years would help a lot. Just how you move units around, concepts such as hotkeys etc would make a big difference.
6. Some board to computer games are translations and others are evolutions into computer games. This so far is mostly a port/translation effort. That's fine but I'd like to see a little more evolution (I recognize you just had to get the game out as the community was getting ornery (sp).
7. This one is important to me but I recognize not important to all. I like a pretty map with the ability to do a high resolution and colors showing changes in ownership clearly. While others may not view this as important, I think MOST wargamers inherantly loves maps. The EIA map in itself is a pretty one --I actually like it better than the paradox maps. But I'd love to see improvements in how change of controls are displayed -on the main map. The conquered display is just kinda iffy. The current resolution is also too low for modern computers. An advanced version with crisper colors/detail would be super nice.
In short, I think people should buy it. If you are an EIA diehard. Always wanted to play but couldn't you should buy it. If you are a newbie to EIA you can figure it out with some trial and error despite not having a traditional gaming manual. But if you are a gamer you should own a copy, and support the development and advancement of the game. I'd be willing to push my friends to buy the game if I got a sense from Matrix that upgrades/advancements along the line of 1) TCPIP 2) AI (less important if you get TCPIP working) 3) improvements in the map/user interface and addressing bugs.
Anyway--those are my first initial impressions. Hope it helps if people were wondering what they were getting when buying the game.