A few notes on the second straight day of constant playing
Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 3:50 pm
I have decided I won't play anymore tonight... so I finally have some time to post a few notes about my experience so far with the second tutorial.
The game before and after the purchase acted the same, which means, every time I did this tutorial, the AI came at me with different ideas and, so far, it ALWAYS beat me but just a few moments ago... I almost had it. I think it's a bit too hard for a tutorial but wonderful behavior nonetheless. A few times I have seen either or both of the initial CSA units utterly disappear, I think it's related to the scenario. Only once I saw a note about me achieving my first victory (i.e. beaten both the first 2 CSA units routed) so I PRESUME in all other cases they came back to fight again.
However here we go with the notes on the things I think should be fixed... stating right now these are my personal opinions of course.
I am playing Historical Level. Needless to say it's very hard.
To begin with, the camera view is restricted to 0 yds from the general Cutler. This makes it IMPOSSIBLE to select it by mouseclick because his flag is so close it goes transparent. In other words, the only way is to use the command chain cursor keys.
Another non minor problem of this restriction is the inability to really see where your units move. I know you're not supposed to see what you can't see from your spot but what I mean is that I can't see the facing arrows or the waypoint flags and it becomes even hard to actually click on the location you want to send your troops in due to terrain, trees, objects, objectives, and everything else you can imagine, including smoke. B)
Perhaps increasing the elevation in the sky of icons would help because if for example an objective is in the woods, 90% of times you can't see it. Replicating the entire flags and facing arrows up in the sky would help as well. Of course everything is easier when you can move the camera, at least higher into the sky but this is not possible at the historical level. In the middle of the fray it's actually hard to even select a unit because you must click on its flag... however once you click it, you are not really sure it's selected. I think the light blue contour line by the flag is too thin. If it was thicker it would be easier to be SURE a unit is selected. I am saying this because many times I happened to select a unit and then notice another unit had moved instead. Be advised, at this level you really need to put the unit flag AWAY from the edges of the screen. In other words, if the flag is not in proximity of the middle of the screen you can click for ever but the unit won't be selected. A major glitch.
Possibly an even worse one is coming on the game map. There's absolutely no icon displayed on it and this also means in this tutorial when you are told to move to the indicated location you have no idea where that location is. Funny when I selected the custom mode I didn't mean to activate any unfair "gamey" advantage but I could see icons, where I was supposed to go and this, coupled with just the mere 50yds unrestricted camera changed everything for me, in fact I almost completed this tutorial and mind I've been trying almost uninterruptedly for the past 2 days.
If it was not too much of a hassle, I think we need a zoom button for the game map too. When the situation is messy you can barely see anything at all because icons and popups stack onto each other. Mouse-wheel could be used to zoom in and out on the map.
My impression on couriers/generals/ammo wagons is that it hasn't changed much from TC2M. Unfortunately even generals sometimes move too light headedly and get killed stupid. Now, I presume the route of couriers is chosen at the time of sending and it's likely if the recipient is far, that route will be very dangerous by the time the courier arrives. Without changing too much this system which is still good in most cases, I think it would be a better idea to have the courier pick the shortest route when the fastest is not entirely safe. In tutorial 2 the road where the couriers come and go from/to is on my right but If I am close to the stream in front of my objective the courier will pass the bridge, follow the road and cross the stream to get to me. Needless to say those 2 CSA regiments will kill him... but it would take him 10 seconds to reach me if he got out of the road BEFORE the bridge. In other words it looks like the couriers get out of the road at the closest point to you but if I am reachable sooner than that why doesn't the courier take this option considering he won't have to pass through 2 enemy CSA regiments? Mystery.
Not much to say about generals except that they should be kept safe. The AI does it most of the times but sometimes you find generals in the empty field. I think my regiment would shoot them but actually they don't and I don't know why... even when they are in range and in plain sight. I think a minimum safe distance should be implemented for AI generals but in any case I think the yellow star support icon really needs too short a distance to be effective. In other words, in order to give morale support the general must be almost attached to a unit, presumably in first line. It is simply too close (hence too close to the enemy) and I think it should be increased a bit... not much, 25 yds would do so that general can also give support from behind without really being inside the regiment itself.
Not much to say about ammo wagons themselves either... they follow a path so if they get in the fray that's too bad but too late to change orders. Perhaps given the importance of these units, I'd make them too keep an automatic safe distance from the enemy... if possible of course. INF can fight, CAV can skirmish, ART may cannister but wagon, courier and general are harmless (but important) so they should follow a different logic imho.
Combat: It works very well... I personally find it very wrong that when there's a charge, the winning side reforms immediately in line (I already mentioned elsewhere that changing formation and wheeling is WAY too fast in this game) while the routing side runs the hell out without being chased. The winning side should either go into disorder (and take much longer to get back in formation) or actually chase the routing side or just simply get back in formation but not that fast and, in any case, even without presence of a charge the formation changes are already too fast as they are.
If I could ask for something among the things I do not personally judge as priority, I would ask for the doctors and stretchers, for wild horses running on the battlefield, for bird flocks flying and for the military bands to be present in the field.
Final note, the sound. I really hope the sound problem is fixed with a quick patch. I am loving the game nonetheless.
The game before and after the purchase acted the same, which means, every time I did this tutorial, the AI came at me with different ideas and, so far, it ALWAYS beat me but just a few moments ago... I almost had it. I think it's a bit too hard for a tutorial but wonderful behavior nonetheless. A few times I have seen either or both of the initial CSA units utterly disappear, I think it's related to the scenario. Only once I saw a note about me achieving my first victory (i.e. beaten both the first 2 CSA units routed) so I PRESUME in all other cases they came back to fight again.
However here we go with the notes on the things I think should be fixed... stating right now these are my personal opinions of course.
I am playing Historical Level. Needless to say it's very hard.
To begin with, the camera view is restricted to 0 yds from the general Cutler. This makes it IMPOSSIBLE to select it by mouseclick because his flag is so close it goes transparent. In other words, the only way is to use the command chain cursor keys.
Another non minor problem of this restriction is the inability to really see where your units move. I know you're not supposed to see what you can't see from your spot but what I mean is that I can't see the facing arrows or the waypoint flags and it becomes even hard to actually click on the location you want to send your troops in due to terrain, trees, objects, objectives, and everything else you can imagine, including smoke. B)
Perhaps increasing the elevation in the sky of icons would help because if for example an objective is in the woods, 90% of times you can't see it. Replicating the entire flags and facing arrows up in the sky would help as well. Of course everything is easier when you can move the camera, at least higher into the sky but this is not possible at the historical level. In the middle of the fray it's actually hard to even select a unit because you must click on its flag... however once you click it, you are not really sure it's selected. I think the light blue contour line by the flag is too thin. If it was thicker it would be easier to be SURE a unit is selected. I am saying this because many times I happened to select a unit and then notice another unit had moved instead. Be advised, at this level you really need to put the unit flag AWAY from the edges of the screen. In other words, if the flag is not in proximity of the middle of the screen you can click for ever but the unit won't be selected. A major glitch.
Possibly an even worse one is coming on the game map. There's absolutely no icon displayed on it and this also means in this tutorial when you are told to move to the indicated location you have no idea where that location is. Funny when I selected the custom mode I didn't mean to activate any unfair "gamey" advantage but I could see icons, where I was supposed to go and this, coupled with just the mere 50yds unrestricted camera changed everything for me, in fact I almost completed this tutorial and mind I've been trying almost uninterruptedly for the past 2 days.
If it was not too much of a hassle, I think we need a zoom button for the game map too. When the situation is messy you can barely see anything at all because icons and popups stack onto each other. Mouse-wheel could be used to zoom in and out on the map.
My impression on couriers/generals/ammo wagons is that it hasn't changed much from TC2M. Unfortunately even generals sometimes move too light headedly and get killed stupid. Now, I presume the route of couriers is chosen at the time of sending and it's likely if the recipient is far, that route will be very dangerous by the time the courier arrives. Without changing too much this system which is still good in most cases, I think it would be a better idea to have the courier pick the shortest route when the fastest is not entirely safe. In tutorial 2 the road where the couriers come and go from/to is on my right but If I am close to the stream in front of my objective the courier will pass the bridge, follow the road and cross the stream to get to me. Needless to say those 2 CSA regiments will kill him... but it would take him 10 seconds to reach me if he got out of the road BEFORE the bridge. In other words it looks like the couriers get out of the road at the closest point to you but if I am reachable sooner than that why doesn't the courier take this option considering he won't have to pass through 2 enemy CSA regiments? Mystery.
Not much to say about generals except that they should be kept safe. The AI does it most of the times but sometimes you find generals in the empty field. I think my regiment would shoot them but actually they don't and I don't know why... even when they are in range and in plain sight. I think a minimum safe distance should be implemented for AI generals but in any case I think the yellow star support icon really needs too short a distance to be effective. In other words, in order to give morale support the general must be almost attached to a unit, presumably in first line. It is simply too close (hence too close to the enemy) and I think it should be increased a bit... not much, 25 yds would do so that general can also give support from behind without really being inside the regiment itself.
Not much to say about ammo wagons themselves either... they follow a path so if they get in the fray that's too bad but too late to change orders. Perhaps given the importance of these units, I'd make them too keep an automatic safe distance from the enemy... if possible of course. INF can fight, CAV can skirmish, ART may cannister but wagon, courier and general are harmless (but important) so they should follow a different logic imho.
Combat: It works very well... I personally find it very wrong that when there's a charge, the winning side reforms immediately in line (I already mentioned elsewhere that changing formation and wheeling is WAY too fast in this game) while the routing side runs the hell out without being chased. The winning side should either go into disorder (and take much longer to get back in formation) or actually chase the routing side or just simply get back in formation but not that fast and, in any case, even without presence of a charge the formation changes are already too fast as they are.
If I could ask for something among the things I do not personally judge as priority, I would ask for the doctors and stretchers, for wild horses running on the battlefield, for bird flocks flying and for the military bands to be present in the field.
Final note, the sound. I really hope the sound problem is fixed with a quick patch. I am loving the game nonetheless.