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Hawkey

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  1. It will probably depend how well the first part sells - if there is a high demand, then they are motivated to develop the sequel soon On the other side they announced that they will first release some patches and DLCs, so it will probably take some time (~ guess 1-2 years) for a sequel. Don't forget that the first part allready got a high replayability - so get a few savegames to continue with
  2. Downloadable Content It is common these days - seeing in big AAA titles like Dragon Age or Mass Effect. Another examples are Fallout 3 or Oblivion. Think about as a "partiall Add-on", which you get through a download. They are often sold for a few bucks and add some Stuff like items etc. Since Legate said it will be free - you can think of it as a content patch. But don't get misslead, in general you often have to pay for it. Yourself have to choose if its worth for you or not Lets see what the upcoming "content Patch" (~ at least you named him so) will contain tomorrow. Hopefully they can really handle the fontsize like they mentioned it
  3. Mh, I really fear that you miss the point Future ? Sequel ? Eternal Summer ? If you just refer to a possible - not certain and until then unknown - sequel, you will loose interested players & fans. Why should they get an "unfinished game" which got some half-hearted support, if they just get appeased with promisises of an better sequel. It's quite possibe that you don't sell the amount of the first part to call it a "sucess", which would let you develop further (~ a main problem since you allready got the whole story/setting), so you have to do everything to please the customers and enhance the game. I don't like to say it - but currently I get the feeling of beeing a Beta-Tester. There are some major problems, which slows down the motivation playing the game. Beginning with just small mistakes like bugs, over to missing information in the manual/ingame which makes it hard to understand what to do, up to "exhausters" which really slows down the players. These ruin the game and even if I hate to saĆ½ it, currently it won't suprise me if upcoming reviews will continue blaming the game (~ actually I planned to refer the game to some friends, but I know they would callit boring how it is now). Academagia has a really nice approach - so please don't waste it. It won't help you or the game if you start denying the weak-points mentioned above. Just putting more effort in the next 1-2 weeks should be possible for all member of the developer team, so don't let it down with the feeling "Yeah - finally we released it. Let's see how long it takes to get some income.". You should offer a patch it in the next days should, which can't contain more content - since the current content needs a smoother gameplay first. So far the amount of content seems really good - just fix the problems for the players so he can enjoy it A short summary of the key-hints that need to be concerned and fixed as soon as possible. They all can be "repaired" without too much effort - so please don't continue referring to an upcoming sequel which currently seems unlikely. Moreover think about the targeted people and how they would like to play : Most urgent Improvements : ~ for Understanding ~ => Fix the manual. There is no purple but red - for an unlikely option. => Mark the next day you like to act ! At the beginning - a new player don't know which day is the first and where he should change his actions (~ normally it could be "Monday"). => Explain that you "prepare your action" at a location and that this will effect the attributes (bonus/malus) for the options at events. Neither in the manual nor ingame is it currently explained and it's really suprising to write an letter from the "Puzzle Box". Moreover, when you choose an location - an additional window like the one at the "Take action window" is recommended. This could describe the location and show the effect it has on your stats. => After you decided what to do - the information window at the right side should show the current state. It should show up which event currently occur and which effect it has. At the end there is allready an overview about it - but during the events you often don't know which of your task will be handled. Is it the adventure ? The study ? The gossiping ? You just get the event text but need some time to find out which action will be handled inthis event. To make it easier - it would help to show the "timeline-of-the-day-events" at the right window. The event you are currently could then be underlined at that time. If you want to make it even better - you could link the compas "thingie" at the right top. Clicking at this, would open the current/next day timeline to see what will be done. Giving directly acess through the link will be easier, since you don't need to use the "previous entry" button. => The abilities mentioned at the options should be turned around. I'am really gratefull that you mention them, but it doesn't seems right to read "Navigation. Chase after him and use a shortcut!". Thinking more of a roleplay - a more decent wait is recommended like the choice and then the require attribute. For example putting it in brackets afterwards: "Chase after him and use a shortcut! (Navigation)" => Add an option to show the current merit state. The player could click at the crest to see the current points. Currently there seems no other way to get the information - beside the daily results. => Add the information about "class skills" in the description of these or at least use a coloured tag for them. => More infromation about the Vitality maximum. => The "Activity effects" should be included on the "Pick activity for the day" window. Currently they just describe what you do - but don't show the effect, even though there would be enough space for the extra lines. => Fixed-stress modifers, just influenced by the location & actions. Even if you will probably say it's better for the players to choose getting a higher stess level and therefore increasing their stats temporarily, it's more confusing ! Cut it out and see how the feedback will be. Make it less complicated and increase the fun. ~ obvisouly Bugs (~ even if you call it feature) ~ => Lets close the pheme menu if you change your opinion and don't like to cast a spell (~ see here). For any other action you don't need to know hoch much phemes you currently got - since they are just necessary for spells. Therefore the player needs a better view at his options instead. => The selecting mouse cursor. I know that it can be changed (~ so no excuses about that) and that there are many mouse cursor styles avaible. Just changed it to a quill or something like that - everything is better than a standard windows arrow. Moreover there is no use in selecting + copy & paste. ~ enhanced Gameplay ~ => Splitted creation process. You definitly saved some space at the wrong place. Cut them like "Astrology" with the 5 options then continue with Heritage etc. It's really better to have a good overview about some options - than getting confused since you got to much. Moreover you should add the page numbers, so that you get at least some feeling of how many points you can use or have to spare. Don't forget that you can select the allready choosen ones to - for getting information about them. => Hitting the "confirming-button" effect. The player really needs some feedback - at least some glowing - if he hit it and wait to continue (~ in the calendar & events). => Use the right-click mouse button for getting back or closing a window (~ see action window in the middle, when you are at the calendar, and information window at the right side for the discriptions). => If don't like to edit the font size - at least recommend a resolution or let the game start in such. If it's coded for 800x600, then lets run in it instead of having problems reading the words in 1200x800. => Information window. You got me wrong ! You should be able to scroll with the mouse-wheel for reading (~ since its much smoother than allways clicking), but it doesn't should scroll down for the next lines but more scroll at the next page. You allreay implented that information-window-system for the attributes and the events (~ at least there you can scroll to read the next page !), why not for every discription at the information window. It's quite annoying not just to scroll up again to see the portrait for a new class-mate, but moreover you loose the overview. If you would use the first page for a potrait, then scroll down which let the window show the next page with a background discription and then scroll down to show the last page with pure facts - it's much easier to read and understand. This would solve the problem of starting the information-window at the top and allows a fluently reading. => Show the options just at the end. You got mistaken by some serious points. At first - Academagia is not just a linear-Adventure. So if a player will replay the game - he will probably seek for a challenge and make different choices than before. He won't get a high chance to solve the same adventures in a while and even if he does - he probably forgot what happend in that event exactly. No one who "click-through" a game would spend 25$ to get Academagia - believe me. For the casual gamers who just like to click further, there are many cheaper puzzles game at the market. At second - if you think you customers got such a behavior - you totally missed your audience. Just clicking through ? If they wan't to skip an event - they could still scroll down to the last page and then choose the path. Reveiling the answers right from the beginning isn't just stupid/unreasonable - but furthermore it takes the suspense if you know what could hapen before you read them. I allready linked the idea of Gamebooks and I guess you know such. Your game is somekind of succesor to it, so don't get rid of the good parts. => "Enter"-Hotkey to confirm the save-file. So far I will stop posting suggstions until these got solved. It doesn't make sense to collect more - if the old and necessary ones doesn't get the attention they need. Hopefully you can fix them fast and send the reviewer the patch - so they can see you care about the project & the gamers. Moreover they could edit the reviews and concern the enhancements ________________________________________________________ @all: If anyone agree or disagree with me - please don't wait and tell me and Black Chicken Studios here. I guess some devs think thats only my opinion so far and that everyone else like the game how it is now, without any required changes. Let them see how they can improve the game and get a better feedback from the upcoming audience
  4. Added suggest Number 16, which is quite important. I guess there shouldn't be a problem to implent it and it will be very usefull. Through this "next page scrolling" instead of the current "page down scrolling", you get a much better overview. Furthermore you allready integrated it partially and it would allow to start every article at the top (~ see page 1 of the discription or picture etc.) Also Number 17 would increase the atmosphere and I hope you can implent it. Following the event and just see the possible outcomes at the point you have to decide is much better then just guessing. Moreover it would be more like the classical Gamebooks which are great and got allways some suspense
  5. ____ @#3 ____ Why breaking up the section ? I just meant that it would be better/more usefull to have one choice windows with "Haritage" another with "Astrology" etc.. You just have to cut after the first 5 entries and then continue with the next 5. Even though it would make the creation process "longer" it would allow a better overview and seems not so confusing like having up to 14 options in one row Moreover I recommend the option to review your choosen ones. Currently you can select them at the "previous box", but the information about the backgrounds don't show up again at the left text box. So to refresh what they do - you need to return to the page where you chose them... ____ @#5 ____ I really hope you will manage to do this with a patch. Not that its a game-stopper, but most players will get annoyed about the small buttons. Even if not all of them like to read every text like me, they surely will drop the option and just rush for the last lines with the "simple fact and what it does description". Would be a pity to skip the nice descriptions
  6. This topic will sum up suggestions and thougts about "How to improve the Game" [~ I wil update the first post frequently, so don't wonder about the amount] ________________________________________________________________ ::Legend:: Bold # Number => new report, which doesn't got recognzied from the developers yet. If they put a comment - it turns normal. Italic part => main problem, which should be fixed. ________________________________________________________________ #19) Mark the next day: You really need to mark somehow the next day. It could be a circle around the day or just bold letters - but you definitly need to show which day needs to be planned next. The game isn't really beginner friendly and this something which makes easier to follow the week & events #18) Saving: When you save you have to confirm the file through clicking with the mouse. Would be easier just to press "enter" since you allready named the save-game with the keyboard letters ^^ #17) Choice options just at the text end: You said in the manual that is not necessary to read the whole texts shown in the middle to choose an option. Even though I guess it would be better if the options you choose will just appear after you read/scrolled through all the pages of the event, when you have to dicide what to do. Besides it's more reasonable just to decide what you will do know when you read the whole thing and not before, but furthermore it doesn't distract that much (~ at the introduction event there was a red choice and it was hard to ignore it to just read the text). You could argument that not everyone likes to read all the stuff - on the otherhand just people who like to read texts will get the game. Allowing these players to enjoy the event and not spoil the outcome - will very likely be pleased (~ and it shouldn't be to hard to make the choices invisible as long as the reader didn't got to the last page) #16) Next page instead of Scrolling: this could be possible be done and at least ease the "mass text discriptions" which is quite hard to read. It's often as I scroll down the information, I don't find the spot where I left the sentece immediately and have to re-read the last sentence which is quite tiring. Instead of scrolling down the page, you could make for all discription the "next page/previous page" scrolling like for the attributes - this allows the players to keep a good overview about the text, since he sees at the next page where he can continue. It's also easier for the haste ones - who just like to see the facts at the last page or starting every article at the top (~ therefore page 1). If its for people, where the potrait could be at the first page adn the description etc. at the following, or for phrases - it would definitly makes it easier to follow the whole text #15) Explanation about the days & shorten the plan phase: Why are some marked blue ? Why green ? Moreover you should cut the option to scrool through the weeks and just show the current one. Otherwise its too confusing, since you get the feeling that you need to plan everything. If special events need to prepared - there could be a "Image Calendar" which just shows thesedates but don't let you put up the actions right there... #14) Text-fields: Use the whole space! Could be that it is just my resolution (~ even though there should be an option for such a case), but the text-field in the middle doesn't seem to be proper filled. The text starts in the center and don't use the upper part of the field. If there would be a picture of an event, okay - but if there is just an empty space it should be used for the words and not wasted. This would allows to use less pages and therefore a more fluently reading #6) Selecting Mouse: If you hint your mouse over the letters - it turns into a marking sign. Since you can't copy & paste something, it would be more usefull to cut it out. Instead of that, you could generally use an mouse icon like a "feather" or a "ward" instead of windows normal arrow. #5) Mouse Clicks: It's just a convenvient suggestion. Perhaps you could use the right-mouse button for the "See previous" and the left click for "See next" stuff, if you click at the right information window. Would be easier instead of clicking at the small buttons and so far the right button don't seem to have a function. Moreover it's better to let a simple left click or space at the keyboad skip to the next event-page, if no answer is necessary. It's quite awkward allways pressing the button if there wasn't a requirement to check a choice but just to continue the reeding #4) Updated Manual: Include the addtions about the attributes from your thread in the manual ! #3) Character creation: Put the choice of "Astrology", "Heritage" and "Omen" at different windows after another. It's great that you get such a wide choice - but need to scroll them and fluently switch between this options is a little confusing. A better overview throug "seperating" and offer them each after another would probably be better. Moreover I recommend to change the order of the information, showing first the "Explaination" over the "Which influece has it on my stats" seems more Roleplaying and interesting. Also should the text-field back to the top if you click at a new one (~ it's quite annoying scrolling down the text-field to read the explaination about the heritage, click at a new one and the text-field needs to be scrolled at the top manually) #2) Events choice: The manual explains that green choices probably will work, while purple ones are mostly unlikely (~ others scale between them). I guess it would be more reasonable to colour the un-likely ones red, as the opposite to green and not just purple (~ it's even explained later on at the manual with a "red example"). Could be that you allready changed that - since in your further additional Information you just show up the 5 colours... #1) UI-stats-design: I just read the manual - but I allready get the feeling that it would be better to change the order of Attributes, at least of the "indirect ones" like Stress/Vitality/Encumbrace/Concealement. It seems to be better - to seperate "Vitality" and the rest + above (~ therefore => luck - a little space - Vitality - a little space - Stress etc.). The point is, that Vitality is the only one which should be high for benefits - in contrast to the others (Stress/Encumbrace/Concealement), which should be low ________________________________________________________________ Last Update: 14.08.2010 / 12:55 - updated the suggestion status - posted the most urgent improvements
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