Interested in web tool feedback.

Playtesting & Rules Development
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OneMadOgre
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Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

All-

Been making tremendous strides lately with the latest incarnation of the web tool. Some things I'd like to think about, and I would be interested in your feedback.

Currently, I have code for the star map (that most of you have already seen in the previous playtest), Galaxy creation/destruction, the solar map (complete now with orbiting planets, because I think that looks cool.), shipyard, ship/fleet management and settlement management. (Create, Improve, Destroy). What I'm lacking right now is a clock tool. I've been working out everything basically as a set of functions that can be called, so you can pretty much colonize the galaxy as fast as you can click the mouse. I think I want to set it up on a timer, but I could also see doing it as an administrative function where the GM of the particular galaxy would then hit "Move to next turn" to process everyone's standing orders. Basically, I'm at a spot where I have to decide what to do next.

Choice 1: Set up functions like "create settlement", "improve settlement", etc on some sort of "cooldown" on the web tool. Time in game passes as a function of time passing in real life.

==or==

Choice 2: Set up functions like "create settlement", "improve settlement", etc as a set of orders that can be processed when the galactic turn is "processed" by the GM incrementing time. Orders could be reviewed/deleted up until the time that the GM hits the button.


Thoughts on how you'd find it most useful? Odds are that I will eventually construct it to function in both ways, so this is really to give me a feel for which way you all would find it most interesting/useful first.

thanks
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

Another question while I am asking them...

Do you like the jump lanes hid until you explore or settle a system, or are they better fully transparent? Personally, I think I like the discover method. But I can see where that is a lot easier for my web play aid than it is to administer on pen and paper. Thoughts?
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mwaschak
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by mwaschak »

OneMadOgre wrote:
Do you like the jump lanes hid until you explore or settle a system, or are they better fully transparent? Personally, I think I like the discover method. But I can see where that is a lot easier for my web play aid than it is to administer on pen and paper. Thoughts?
I like showing the lanes after the system is explored. You are right that this is one of those areas that benefits from the computer aid.

-Jay
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

I decided on Choice #2.

Got to spend pretty much all day coding, wife was feeling generous.

Starships that get too close now both engage and disengage based on sensors, stance, and status.

Which is to say when I threw a Destroyer, Destroyer Escort, and Corvette at a Cruiser, the smaller ships spotted the Cruiser, moved in to engage. The Cruiser crushed the Corvette as it got into sensor range first. Then it put the hurt on the Destroyer which started to move to disengage. The Destroyer Escort continued on and was broken on the next turn. The Destroyer however, had disengaged outside of the sensor reach of the Cruiser.

End result. Destroyed Corvette and Destroyer Escort, Crippled Destroyer, and lightly damaged Cruiser.

Couple more weekends and I'll be in a good place to start alpha testing. Might have to convert the Ship design Excel sheet into a web application for people to play with.
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How the ships looked after they had gotten enough range between them to completely disengage and recharge shields.
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

If you want to tool around in the galaxy map I have on the public site, you're more than welcome. Most of the functionality will be broken, and all of the database will be wiped in the next week or so.

http://shatteredgalaxy.azurewebsites.net/
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OneMadOgre
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

Work continues, I just haven't been publishing it to the Azure website.
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

More coding tomorrow. Goal is to get individual star cluster generation up, so that you can start seeing your own game on the Azure site, instead of all of us seeing the same set of stars. Stretch goal to allow for players to invite other players to participate in their cluster as a shared experience.
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

No stretch goal. Got to where the the player only sees the jumplanes for the star systems where they have settlements. Still need to add code and data structure for them to continue to see jumplanes that they've explored, even if they don't have a settlement in system.
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

Also. I am not a web designer of any note. I'd continue to be very interested in feedback (or HTML/CSS) from people who would have a strong preference or desire to see screens laid out in a particular way.
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by mwaschak »

Thanks John!
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Re: Interested in web tool feedback.

Post by OneMadOgre »

Star Map (not published to Azure ... yet.) now correctly displays system names and jumplanes where you have either a settlement or a unit.

I need a good chunk of time to build out the next section. Want to have the fog of war active. That will mean essentially developing and building in the idea of "turns" instead of just instant reaction to my clicks. The instant reaction was more so I can test it faster than I thought it was going to be a real time play aid. This might take me a bit as I plot (plod?) through the design of that. I'm excited to see it, because I kind of want to see how the combat engine handles when I just turn it on for turn resolution. Currently ships will seek out and engage targets without a concept of a fleet or organizational structure. But even that is fun for me to watch play out.

Long story short, you're not likely to see it update to Azure unless I get that chunk of time, or I decide I lied and want to show people current progress.
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