|
Re: Message System |
Thu, 15 April 2004 13:52 |
|
|
Don't know how much we will do with the message system - though I suspect we will be allowing much more text per message.
As to sharing ship design info - it's a thought. The easiest way is to have it as a right click option when an enemy design is open and then send is as a history file entry to the selected player with an appropriate message in the message system.
Ptolemy
Though we often ask how and why, we must also do to get the answers to the questions.Report message to a moderator
|
|
|
|
Re: Message System |
Thu, 15 April 2004 18:23 |
|
Alien | | Crewman 2nd Class | Messages: 18
Registered: March 2004 Location: Belgium | |
|
Why do it hard when it can be easy? Instead of giving a screenshot, just list components.
3xCPS,4xarms,1xneutr,6xBSC,gate, driver.
You won't see capacity directly unless you count, though you can design it yourself, or simply say 'My race doesn't have Arms, so i have no idea how good they are. Gotta research, and compare to the missiles we know how work in the meantime.' or 'What on Tsagigla'lal is a metamorph?', or ask your "ally" for stats, as their race are obviously more clued in on the base's/ship's abilities, having seen it in combat.
Transferring a design would likely take a whole turn too, which might make it too late.
Alien
---
Treehuggers united!Report message to a moderator
|
|
|
Re: Message System |
Thu, 15 April 2004 20:44 |
|
|
It would be nice to have a way to pass messages such as this between players independantly of the server and 2 year round trip time. Some sort of message file would do it. Drag and drop would be nice...certainly a commandline option to 'integrate' the message file...menu, button etc
If you have design sending...the ability to edit the design (from the full list of components?) before you send it would certainly be needed imo
If you have such a system...some way of differentiating between actual observed parts and heresay parts...background colour? grey vs white etc
If no design sending...certainly the ability to edit the unknown designs and fill in what you've been told/figured out.
While you're at it...would be nice to have a clientside database you can fill in about the other races as you figure things out about them...
Report message to a moderator
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: Message System |
Mon, 03 May 2004 22:13 |
|
|
-sigh- Whatever. I just think the current system of tech trade is inelegant and hardly plausible - after all, how many people in real life learn how to build things by blasting them to bits? besides, there's enough micromanagement in the game already.
If you have a better idea on how to streamline tech trades I'm all ears.
Report message to a moderator
|
|
|
|
Re: Message System |
Tue, 04 May 2004 03:14 |
|
|
The case of tech trade is simply a case of spending to send something. Fine, if you want that player A sends player B a nubian and player B has con 4 but now has con 26 then the cost of that nubian to Players A and B needs to be all 22 of the un-researched tech levels. The concept of being able to trade tech requires that resources are spent on the trade - either by population usage or ship construction. Granted, using pop drop is cheaper but, it's not always viable and, when used doesn't always provide the desired tech.
Sending tech 'by mail' doesn't cut it since no cost has been involved to either party. If Player A sends the info on how to build something new, Player B still can't realistically build that new tech without some type of investment in creating test systems, upgrading chemical labs etc. Therefore, there has to be a cost involved. Currently, the cost is on the senders side - that's fine, since in a given game tech is usually flowing 2 ways so each side is incurring cost overhead.
Ptolemy
Though we often ask how and why, we must also do to get the answers to the questions.Report message to a moderator
|
|
|
Re: Message System |
Mon, 17 May 2004 23:32 |
|
|
Also one of the crucial elements is the length of time it take to trade, in two ways:
1)Usually it takes several years to get a brand new tech from prototype to successful trade.
2) The maximum levels you can gain each year from trade is 1.
I think both of these are crucial to game balance (even if not necessarily all that realistic.) If tech could be immediately, instantly and cheaply then the power of alliances grows even more: As it stands the underdog empire/alliance still has a chance of maintaining tech balance against a larger alliance as coordination of tech gain between their opponents is slow.
I am certain that a more realistic system could, and should, be constructed, but it is important to maintain some sort of incurred cost, time delay, and limits on it's effectiveness.
[Updated on: Mon, 17 May 2004 23:34] Report message to a moderator
|
|
|
|
|
|
Re: Message System |
Fri, 11 June 2004 00:16 |
|
LEit | | Lt. Commander | Messages: 879
Registered: April 2003 Location: CT | |
|
Heinz89 wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 22:32 | One change I'd like to see is the ability to pick specific races for messages instead of just the option of everyone. Maybe a couple user-defined teams slots?
|
Client issue, but I'm hoping they'll have a checkbox for each race.
Heinz89 wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 22:32 | Another is the ability to click on planets names to see them.
|
The messages from the server will have a message ID #, and a list of objects depending on the message. The objects can be a planet, fleet, player, string, number, or other relevant things. If the client wants to display the planet name and underline it and then when you click on the name, it it jumps to the world, that would be great.
Heinz89 wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 22:32 | Why does it always say "someone" swept your mines when the game knows damn well who the offending party is(are).
|
The server code that generates the message doesn't know if you'll be able to see the fleet by the time you get the message. That will probably remain, but you should be able to click on the mine field in the message and have it jump there, making it fairly clear who was sweeping.
Heinz89 wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 22:32 | Should be able to forward battle scenes. Might be a good way to send designs? Hell, we all like a good battle and don't always want to share passwords.
|
You could extract the battle information from the turn file. Hopefully the client will be able to import partial turn files from other players and do something with them. Note that after extracting the battle (or anything else) you could modify it before sending it on, this is to allow you to lie to people.
Heinz89 wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 22:32 | Combine the action messages "Large Freighter #157 has beamed 46200 Colonists to Nougut and completed it's assigned orders"
|
The client can look ahead through the messages and do this if it wants to. This would be nice.
Heinz89 wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 22:32 | Combine multiple terraforming messages on same planet and then list end value since I always check it out anyway. I may be nuts too.
|
Another nice thing the client could do. The server could send the old terraforming value, so you can see what you changed it from as well.
- LEitReport message to a moderator
|
|
|
|
Re: Message System |
Mon, 14 June 2004 21:10 |
|
Downsider | | Crewman 1st Class | Messages: 35
Registered: June 2003 Location: Derbyshire, England | |
|
LEit wrote on Fri, 11 June 2004 05:16 |
Heinz89 wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 22:32 | Why does it always say "someone" swept your mines when the game knows damn well who the offending party is(are).
|
The server code that generates the message doesn't know if you'll be able to see the fleet by the time you get the message. That will probably remain, but you should be able to click on the mine field in the message and have it jump there, making it fairly clear who was sweeping.
|
I would have thought this would be a client issue. The server sends information about what was swept and which fleet did it and the client would check to see if you can see that fleet. If you couldn't, then you would get the "someone" message.
[Mod edit: fixed quote]
[Updated on: Tue, 08 February 2005 03:21] by Moderator
"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent" - Salvor Hardin Report message to a moderator
|
|
|
Re: Message System |
Mon, 14 June 2004 22:52 |
|
Orca | | Chief Warrant Officer 1 | Messages: 148
Registered: June 2003 Location: Orbiting tower at the L5 ... | |
|
Downsider wrote on Mon, 14 June 2004 18:10 |
LEit wrote on Fri, 11 June 2004 05:16 |
Heinz89 wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 22:32 | Why does it always say "someone" swept your mines when the game knows damn well who the offending party is(are).
|
The server code that generates the message doesn't know if you'll be able to see the fleet by the time you get the message. That will probably remain, but you should be able to click on the mine field in the message and have it jump there, making it fairly clear who was sweeping.
|
I would have thought this would be a client issue. The server sends information about what was swept and which fleet did it and the client would check to see if you can see that fleet. If you couldn't, then you would get the "someone" message.
|
That's the thing. In that case the client would have access to more data than it should (fleet numbers it might not be able to see). We can't have that. The client will only receive messages that race would know about. So they'll get the message about the minefield being swept, but it may or may not be associated with the fleet doing the sweeping. At this point, it looks like probably not.
[Updated on: Mon, 14 June 2004 22:52]
Jesus saves.
Allah forgives.
Cthulhu thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.Report message to a moderator
|
|
|
|
|
|
|