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Discussion / Still hopeful but disappointed
« on: July 15, 2010, 05:13:47 am »
I know it's a for free game and all, but I just can't get over all the goofy design issues especially with the geoscape interface.
The geoscape now looks top notch and things feel more complete than the 2.2 but if anything things seem more strange than ever in some ways. It's like everything got placed at random, to look cool, or to specifically do things differently than xcom did it. People who play all the time and are used to it may disbelieve me, but I literally spent 20 minutes figuring out how to intercept a UFO after trying the latest version. My brain would think to click on the base and have a list of craft come up and assign them to go somewhere. Admittedly that's partially because xcom does it that way but it's the most sensible way this could work. It also easily allows me to do things like send out a patrol with ease. Instead you have some weird options inside the base for the plane, none of which make much sense to me or I can't figure out how to make work right, or you double click on the UFO to assign attackers. But the UFO has nothing to do with the interceptors. If this really made sense wouldn't you click on the aliens in the ground mission and then choose who fires the bullets?
Things like save are put in the weirdest places. What does whether you play a campaign or skirmish have to do with loading a game? Why do I wind up quit from the game all the time just due to saving? The ability to access bases without clicking them is hidden deep inside the actual bases, where it ought to be on main screen, and clicking a base to access it should be abolished. How many times have I clicked on the screen and wound up in the base when trying to do click on something else? Then when I do need in the base, since obviously bases will be the most active hotspots I constantly get the popup caused by the interface not knowing what I am trying to click on, which is always annoying and jarring. An interface should have as few layers as possible, keep everything simple and clean and clear, not have eveyrthing hidden as deep as possible. That also means not having extraneous garbage, too. Like why do I want to click on individual workers and scientists? Really, I don't. It's a half step away from physically feeding my soldiers. And don't be ashamed to do things the way xcom does them. Hint, that's how a professional interface looks and feels. It's not a 'style' or a 'design', it's influenced by what you are doing. You'll notice cars have suspiciously similar interfaces. That's not just because sometimes people copy each other, but because form is led by function.
A lot of the stuff gives the impression it's just that way to make it look as uber cool as possible. Like the mailclient and the popups of messages. Really, like I'd want the screen to suddenly get taken over by these messages. If they stop the game, they should have something more than an unobtrusive message, if they don't they might not be worth having in such a prominent spot. If you have to have a console of silly messages, put it somewhere unobtrusive not at the top of the screen where all the action is, put it in an area just for messages, a message box. Worse, stuff that I really do care about just comes in a message. You ought to get some more feedback than 'you lost the fight' when you lose a ship in one of the instantaneously resolved fights. I know that's partly just unfinished, but you really need to (as in xcom, or any similar game) slow down the game a bit and have some feedback in this important part of the game. Maybe have a chance to flee sometimes, some feedback on how powerful the ship is, etc. etc.
The game map interface could use work (Again, everything is placed completely at random or for mere aesthetic value) but is much better, but the geoscape map pretty much does everything completely wrong and needs some serious work. I know it's a combination of incompleteness, time constraints, and many cooks in a small kitchen but right now it is a pretty big mess that makes the game difficult to play let alone enjoy.
The geoscape now looks top notch and things feel more complete than the 2.2 but if anything things seem more strange than ever in some ways. It's like everything got placed at random, to look cool, or to specifically do things differently than xcom did it. People who play all the time and are used to it may disbelieve me, but I literally spent 20 minutes figuring out how to intercept a UFO after trying the latest version. My brain would think to click on the base and have a list of craft come up and assign them to go somewhere. Admittedly that's partially because xcom does it that way but it's the most sensible way this could work. It also easily allows me to do things like send out a patrol with ease. Instead you have some weird options inside the base for the plane, none of which make much sense to me or I can't figure out how to make work right, or you double click on the UFO to assign attackers. But the UFO has nothing to do with the interceptors. If this really made sense wouldn't you click on the aliens in the ground mission and then choose who fires the bullets?
Things like save are put in the weirdest places. What does whether you play a campaign or skirmish have to do with loading a game? Why do I wind up quit from the game all the time just due to saving? The ability to access bases without clicking them is hidden deep inside the actual bases, where it ought to be on main screen, and clicking a base to access it should be abolished. How many times have I clicked on the screen and wound up in the base when trying to do click on something else? Then when I do need in the base, since obviously bases will be the most active hotspots I constantly get the popup caused by the interface not knowing what I am trying to click on, which is always annoying and jarring. An interface should have as few layers as possible, keep everything simple and clean and clear, not have eveyrthing hidden as deep as possible. That also means not having extraneous garbage, too. Like why do I want to click on individual workers and scientists? Really, I don't. It's a half step away from physically feeding my soldiers. And don't be ashamed to do things the way xcom does them. Hint, that's how a professional interface looks and feels. It's not a 'style' or a 'design', it's influenced by what you are doing. You'll notice cars have suspiciously similar interfaces. That's not just because sometimes people copy each other, but because form is led by function.
A lot of the stuff gives the impression it's just that way to make it look as uber cool as possible. Like the mailclient and the popups of messages. Really, like I'd want the screen to suddenly get taken over by these messages. If they stop the game, they should have something more than an unobtrusive message, if they don't they might not be worth having in such a prominent spot. If you have to have a console of silly messages, put it somewhere unobtrusive not at the top of the screen where all the action is, put it in an area just for messages, a message box. Worse, stuff that I really do care about just comes in a message. You ought to get some more feedback than 'you lost the fight' when you lose a ship in one of the instantaneously resolved fights. I know that's partly just unfinished, but you really need to (as in xcom, or any similar game) slow down the game a bit and have some feedback in this important part of the game. Maybe have a chance to flee sometimes, some feedback on how powerful the ship is, etc. etc.
The game map interface could use work (Again, everything is placed completely at random or for mere aesthetic value) but is much better, but the geoscape map pretty much does everything completely wrong and needs some serious work. I know it's a combination of incompleteness, time constraints, and many cooks in a small kitchen but right now it is a pretty big mess that makes the game difficult to play let alone enjoy.