Hello all, I have been playing 4x games since the time when they were available as printed counters on cardboard maps and have never stopped enjoying them. For me, Moo2 is still the best ever made. This does not mean that there weren't some issues with that title but rather that it offered the most enjoyment and was well designed. Here I would like to offer some advice to the developers as a business man that has seen enterprises succeed and also crash and burn. This game will solicit and generate tons of advice during it's development and one of the primary missions of the developers will be to understand that if they attempt to please everyone they will please no-one. Let me share two examples, one physical and the other digital Years ago I did consulting for the food service industry, I saw many a business go under from a desire to please all their customers. In many cases this was due to alterations made in the menu so as to please customers. Unfortunately, this usually led to increased inventories, spoilage and escalating operational costs. On the other hand one of the most successful venues I interacted with had a single page menu where everything on it was done to perfection. If it wasn't on the menu, you weren't getting it. Ageods civil war (1) is another example. The mid version (1.06) of the game was quite enjoyable and after I mastered it I could defeat the superior Union by early 1864. By the time the last patch (1.17) came out, which included many ideas from players, the game was boring. The game would now insist on predictable naval invasions which got beat back easily and the AI was lucky to survive until 1863. While some enhancements were nice, the AI became suicidal and the game now collects dust. So as we discuss and suggest ideas over the course of time, we must also understand that some ideas will never make the cut and the developers who are gracious enough to solicit feedback will have a hard time figuring out what will work well or not. Just remember, just because it sounds good in theory does not mean it will be good in practice.
"So as we discuss and suggest ideas over the course of time, we must also understand that some ideas will never make the cut and the developers who are gracious enough to solicit feedback will have a hard time figuring out what will work well or not." and that is the pitfall that will... make this game just another 4x. Until someone is willing to put as many game play options as they can think of, 4x will just stay where its at.
Yes and no Thrangar, The key will be to create a base game that does not regress and then sort through all the ideas presented to identify not only the good ones but the ones that can and will integrate with the base game while enhancing the play experience. Try adding as many ingredients as you can think of to a recipe and see if it is edible, the concept applies here as well, options are good but only if they serve a purpose.
Disagree. Feature creep, and trying to please everyone, will be the death of any game. Not just games, but any software project. With 4X games, the problem of feature creep is magnified, due to the need for game play balance and competent AI. It is great they have provided this forum for us to make suggestions, but that doesn't mean they should try to satisfy they requests of everyone.
This is exactly right. It is going to be impossible to make this game be everything for everyone. This is why it is very important that the core mission and vision are always kept in mind when determining which ideas are feasible. This does not mean the game still won't offer something new and be fun to play.
I agree. You will end up (if you ever finish) with a disjointed mishmash of stuff that doesn't flow well. Having a coherent yet flexible (in some areas) vision will do wonders.
