Tiny wish list of new features

[fallen]

Dec 23, 2014 4:37:42 GMT -5 niko said:

Dec 22, 2014 21:43:07 GMT -5 anrdaemon said:

Ragarding AP display. No need for bars (it's not like you get 3-digit AP values), just put a counter on the member's face in character selection bar.

First I was going to troll that idea with numbers right on the member's faces. But with your idea I made this:



And you know I like it Because it will be easy to read for player and it will be not hard to implement for developers guys!
anrdaemon, If you don't mind i'll put this to topic.

*By the way I also changed position of AP for selected character to make it position same like with rest members.

Yeah, the original bars suggestion does ignore Move Points, which would be a mistake.

[niko]

You know, I thought again about panel issue and about what lurker said. If some don't like to see it always fixed on the screen, when maybe should be toggle, BUT:



What if:
- "Menu" button and "toggle panel" button will be like it shown on the picture;
- Will be rules for "Toggle panel"-button:
"ON"-status : panel should will be fixed on the screen till that moment, when player will decide to hide it. But main difference with current rules in the game will be that will be no other ways to hide that panel (no matter battle is started or battle is ended, or player clicked on a screen)  - only possible way to press toggle button. So player will decide he want to see it always on the screen or not. And will not be necessary to make special UI for table or for phone devices.
"OFF"-status: panel is hidding.

*Notice* If it will be ON-status and will be battle, player will be able to observe party members status (HP/SP/AP) as we mentioned in previous posts. If player don't need that information and like to track all information in his head he may simply hide this panel.

About gold arrow button
Sorry in my opinion much easier to open character's panel and select chararcter from the list on the screen, instead of switching every character with arrow by his order place.

I think after this all will be happy

[anrdaemon]

Dec 23, 2014 4:37:42 GMT -5 niko said:

If you don't mind i'll put this to topic.

Absolutely not. It looks even better, than what I had thought of. Hope devs like the proposal and implement it on earlies occasion.

[anrdaemon]

Dec 23, 2014 12:55:12 GMT -5 niko said:

You know, I thought again about panel issue and about what lurker said. If some don't like to see it always fixed on the screen, when maybe should be toggle, BUT:



What if:
- "Menu" button and "toggle panel" button will be like it shown on the picture;

Too crampled. Menu button location is fine where it is. Far enough from itchy fingers, and not obscured by anything in the vicinity.
Overall, the area you're pointing to could use a little more cleanup. May be move party bar button to the left, and make "next char" button a little bigger. On my 7'' tablet it's small enough for my fingers to tap the "Recent apps" button instead of "Next character" quite often. Something like

[mataeus]

As a regular player of HoS, I do agree that the UI needs improvement. I just don't know which of the proposed ideas here I would be comfortable with, just from a personal standpoint, which is the minority of one individuals preference! Still, keep 'em coming, you're clearly dedicated to helping and that's awesome.

[mataeus]

That's one thing I do like about Samsung phones anrdaemon - No soft keys! Everything's off-screen.

[niko]

NEW LOOK OF UI

3) Browse map for current local area
Description: Guys, you know one issue still disturb all my thoughts from long time of playing HoS... It is local map in current area. I have suggestion is to implement pinch controlled map:


*Picture is clickble*

So basically there are 3 levels of pinch:
1-st pinch it is minimal or default (it is current and default zoom on the screen);
2-nd pinch will make current overview of dungeon/location zoomed with ratio x2 (for example);
3-rd pinch will change screen for sketch map. There are orange circles which show possible exit/entrance to <loc #?> area. And blue it is current position of my party.
(*NOTICE*: Don't pay attention to that grid inside sketch map. It is just random pic from internet, only purpose of using it to show my concept)
(*NOTICE2*: Of course sketch map don't show unexplored parts of the map, it only show these parts of map which were explored, rest part of the map is still should be in wog of war)

Should be some rules like long pinch will easy bring you from 1 to 3 level or in reverse. Short pinch, for example, will bring screen from 1 to 2 level.
P.S. I thought to add red small circles on 3-rd lvl of pinch which will be show location of the enemies (in case if they are already spot in the area) and icons of availble treasure chests, but I don't know is any need of that or not...


4) Global map (+some featuresupdated UI)

Description: You know when I just started game I was like "Where I'm? What I've already visited? Where quests? Where to go?"
From that moment other issue always is blowing my mind... Global map... As a as a player I need more info. So I had sorta this in my thoughts:


*Picture is clickble*

About added features to that concept:
a) Gold-"Q" from the left of place's name - show that there in place is located story quest (main);
b) Silver-"Q" from the left of place's name - show that there in place is located sub-quest;
c) Gold-"Q" & Silver-"Q" from the left of place's name - means that both types of quests in that place;
d) Please pay attention to the road different colors : "red roads" shot the paths that player already visited/passed and "grey roads" show these paths that player not yet visited or passed. So that way player will know what left to explore yet.
e) If player will click on the Gold-"Q"/Silver-"Q" from the left of place's name game will show list of the quests in that area and their description (so that way player will know that not only just some quests there, he will know what exact quests in the that place and their goals)

So with all that I will know where to go to follow main quests, what places with sub-quests I forgot to complete and what places I didn't visited yet.

[anrdaemon]

Dec 25, 2014 17:04:48 GMT -5 niko said:

NEW LOOK OF UI

3) Browse map for current local area

That would give away more information, than is intended to be available to the player.
The relative position of the group on the floor map would allow you to predict locations of places of certain importance.

4) Global map (+some featuresupdated UI)

What about color-blind people?

[niko]

Dec 25, 2014 20:40:25 GMT -5 anrdaemon said:

What about color-blind people?

Tracks ("visited" / "not visited") also could be marked like this in my opinion:



Quests marks ("Q-gold" and "Q-silver" icons) will look the same for these kind of people, I don't know how to deal with it. Sorry... Maybe you have your own ideas about that?

[fallen]

niko - can you get an update to the game? The world map requests you've made about quest log are already implemented a while ago. I can see from your screenshot that you are using a pretty old version of the game.

[mataeus]

niko - The main issue for me, which you've highlighted recently, is direction. I have had a niggling feeling too while playing which, I suspect, is similar to yours!

Despite all of the improvements (we started without a map at all, in fact it's implementation is fairly recent) I still struggle to not only find my way around, but to know what to do next, or when things are achievable.

The main points for me are:

● How do I get to my desired location?
Whether side quest or main, or I just want to sell gear, or find a safe spot to level up, where the bloody hell am I going? Let's say I played the game two months ago, saved at a random place in a random dungeon. I CAN look at the world map and get a rough idea of where I am, BUT this information isn't complete. Right, so I look at the map and see that I'm in the Torrent Watershed. But where? The main map? The Temple? Another connected location? And where are the previously discovered exits in relation to my Heroes? And where do those exits lead? In which map will I end up? Am I walking to a screen edge or a hole in the floor? A set of stairs a few tiles across in the middle of the dungeon? This matter is exacerbated by having travel points that aren't places on the map - specific people you have to talk to to initiate travel under certain circumstances. Occasionally this is negated by details in the quest log, but sometimes you can go back - such as from the Torrent Watershed - and return travel is reinitiated in the same manner. If your quest log has been updated, you may forget this after an absence of play.
TO SUMMARISE: I want to know exactly where I am, where the exits are, and to which maps those exits lead in previously unfogged locations. Using this info, I can also quickly get to find previously unexplored regions.

● How do I know if I can achieve something or go somewhere?
Okay, so in Oskahold in Episode One you can pick up a couple of sidequests that are inaccessible until much later in the game. One that requires you to travel west out of the town, for example, when it's blocked off. If you are eager to make sure you don't accidentally miss any content or opportunity to level up and get loot, you can spend hours talking to everyone and checking every previously explored map before continuing on with your main quest, hoping you don't miss it and lock it out due to main quest progression. It's only after many more hours of tactical play that you realise you must RETURN to that location and do the quest later, after getting through some of the main plot.
TO SUMMARISE: I want information at my fingertips which guides me to understand which goals, objectives and places are currently out of my reach.

● The mapping system is inadequate.
As previously touched upon, the world map simply doesn't do enough. My location isn't exact, and in it's current state it can't be because many locations are missing, and amalgamated into one large area on the map. This also means exits are not shown and would be inaccurate anyway without each location having it's individual graphic. I also have no idea which areas I've previously explored, and which I am yet to discover.
TO SUMMARISE: A 'live' mapping system better than the current one encompassing each individual location, that either graphically adds locations as you discover them OR starts with everywhere darkened until you discover it, at which point it highlights, names (to avoid spoilers) and brightens that location would be fantastic.

So for me, it's all about navigation. Those who've played dozens of groups across dozens of games may memorise things, but that handful of vastly experienced players shouldn't comment here about how they 'have no trouble finding their way around'. The game should be accessible, and this is an important distinction to make: Accessibility DOES NOT sacrifice depth. Making something easier to understand is a POSITIVE thing. It's not about hand-holding (I grew up with a C64 for crying out loud! Your tutorial to an 8 side floppy disc D&D RPG consisted of a hundred-page manual, but by GOD you knew how to play after reading it!) It's about making sure players KNOW what they're doing and HOW to do it.
We SHOULD discover on our own, we SHOULD blaze trails through the underground world that's been created finding unusual stairways and mysteriously untravelled paths. But we should ALWAYS be able to trace our way back, and get there again, without trial-and-error.

On a final tangent - why does the 'enemy growl' play when we are about to happen upon a chest in the fog-of-war? It's obvious there's a chest incoming: Battle doesn't start!

~M~

[niko]

Dec 26, 2014 23:17:34 GMT -5 fallen said:

niko - can you get an update to the game? The world map requests you've made about quest log are already implemented a while ago. I can see from your screenshot that you are using a pretty old version of the game.

fallen, sorry I don't understand how that can be? From the moment when I was created that thread I was always on 3.1.9 version:



So in 3.1.9:

World map
Quest Log and World Map are completely different menu options and unrelated. Quest Log show and describe current finished and not finished Main and Sub Quests. And World map only just show the map as I showed earlier, without any signs of quest marks or without any signs which locations I have already visited and which are not.

Local map
Currently in game exist pinch-out that make screen scaled from default [x1] to [x3] zoom. And as i described there is lack of 3-rd level of pinch-out which will show sketch map. Like if player will try zoom more than [x3] zoom after screen will automatically change to sketch map. And if player will make pinch-in game will make all in reverse (sketch map >> zoom [x3] >> ... ... zoom [x1])

[mataeus]

Dec 27, 2014 6:48:58 GMT -5 niko said:

World map only just show the map as I showed earlier, without any signs of quest marks...

There should be little silver and gold flag poles which show the general area of your active quests. They are small, and rather unclear. There should also be a sword marker to show the general location of your Heroes.

There isn't a live trail of where you've been though.

[niko]

mataeus - Totally agree! You are just gave the detailed and full description about all that I was thought

That is why I missed the opportunity to complete 2 sub-quests in "Oskahold". So I moved further and later couldn't come back because location was unreachable...

Also during playing the game once I just realized that I missed road from "Riven Field" to "Vrennhaulm" - I didn't spot the path in local area, but it should be there (that why I tried to ask add sketch map in local area)

And about games what we are played long time ago, you are also right. Our past experience forms an idea of how things should be and what is normal and good. And we are used to see clear vision on what to do further in game and get clear navigation. Due to that issue I created that post about adding some features to world and local maps.

[niko]

Dec 27, 2014 7:06:26 GMT -5 mataeus said:

Dec 27, 2014 6:48:58 GMT -5 niko said:

World map only just show the map as I showed earlier, without any signs of quest marks...

There should be little silver and gold flag poles which show the general area of your active quests. They are small, and rather unclear. There should also be a sword marker to show the general location of your Heroes.

There isn't a live trail of where you've been though.

Yes... "sword" is show the general location of my party members, but flags... I don't see any of them.

mataeus are you on iOS and your game's version is 3.1.9?

*Updated: I just checked HoS in Google Play... How come Android's version is v3.1.13 - 12/21/2014 and iOS's is still 3.1.9 - 12/08/2014 ? Which way I can update 3.1.13 on iOS?