Wish-List for Dominions 4

[CelestialGoblyn]

chrispedersen said:
5. Get rid of combat movies. Resolve combat and move on - I don't need to see it. Some sort of fast combat resolution.

They're not movies. They're real reports from what happened in the battle.

[HoneyBadger]

Endo, I get "great" ideas on a ratio of 1-500 bad ideas, so I don't think you have a lot to worry about

[Endoperez]

#summon and #summon5 don't create the units under the commander's control unless he starts with none. #makemonster doesn't work either. Unless someone comes up with a way to give the spawned units to the mercenaries, they can't use the commands mentioned above.

[ArkkiMeisseli]

I didn't check through all the pages, so sorry if this has already been proposed...

I'd like to see archers shoot first (or maybe after spells), before melee combatants take their turns. It's pretty sad watching my brave Caelian troops lose so many lives unnecessarily, being shot in the back by their own comrades right after descending upon the enemy.

[StrictlyRockers]

I'd like to see a completely new engine with better graphics for the tactical battles. I'm not satisfied with the speed, clarity or modernity of the current system.

Right now, the combat system works. It is functional and legible and you CAN make out what is happening. If you want to pay close attention to the intricacies of the battle, you may need to watch twice - once to see what happened to your forces, and once to see what happened to the opponent's forces.

There are some good programs out there that would enable an improvement in the graphics for the tactical battles. It would mean a huge overhall and reworking of the code, and this may not even be a real possibility for Shrapnel or Ilwinter or whoever would be in charge of making this big investment. Firaxis uses some XML or Python based program for their newer games, Civ 4 (not 3), Pirates, Railroads, etc. The engine is very pretty...in a way that Dom 3 is not pretty.

Ok, my motivations here are solely to bring in new players to this great game! I don't honestly care that much personally about pretty cartoon graphics. I am more into it for the contest and the matching of wits, the outguessing of your enemies, and the sweet thrill of victory over an aggressor nation. I am an old grognard who plaed Avalon Hill boardgames since the age of 8.

Who gives a heck about grpahics? Everyone else but me and a few other die-hard wargamers. I want to see a big pool of players. Many people are turned off from this game by the graphics they see in the battles. Some would consider these graphics pretty lousy if Dom 3 had come out ten years ago.

I would like to see a whole new engine used for tactical battles. Specifically, the ability to zoom in on the tactical battlefield with the mouse scroll wheel would be great. Also, the ability to rotate the battlefield view angle would be fun.

Pathing would be a great addition, or even simple rally points for newly built commaders. A command for newly built commanders to load up all available troops and rally to a province would be great.

I love this game, and I will try to think up more improvements. My big push is to make the game prettier to attract more players.

[Sir_Dr_D]

The better the graphics are the harder it will be to have the wide variety of units that is out there now. Personally I find that focus on graphics ruins games. All main stream commercial games bore me quickly. Dominions is the only one that has held my interest for such a large period of time. The Space empires series tried to go the route of better graphics in the last addition, instead of game play improvements, and suffers for it.

For graphics to work there will need to be a larger team to work on it. One that does not get in the way of the enhachment of other game play features.

personally graphics won't do a thing to interest me. I will want more strategies and challenges available.

[MaxWilson]

StrictlyRockers,

In the interests of data-gathering, of the people you know who are turned off by the sprite-based graphics, how many of them have the patience for long strategy games? Or even short strategy games, a la Axis and Allies? What is it about Dominions that they're likely to enjoy?

It's just that I'm having trouble imagining a person who would appreciate a complicated game and yet NOT have an old wargamer's attitude toward graphics.

-Max

[sum1lost]

MaxWilson said:
StrictlyRockers,

In the interests of data-gathering, of the people you know who are turned off by the sprite-based graphics, how many of them have the patience for long strategy games? Or even short strategy games, a la Axis and Allies? What is it about Dominions that they're likely to enjoy?

It's just that I'm having trouble imagining a person who would appreciate a complicated game and yet NOT have an old wargamer's attitude toward graphics.

-Max

I like pretty games.

[Gandalf Parker]

I would suspect that a single unit in decent 3D animated graphic might take at least as long as long as 8 units in 2d with only 2 images (standing and attack move). For a full-time graphics person that might be feasable but I dont think that the few more sales would justify Kristoffer giving up his teaching career for it. And I sure wouldnt appreciate the game with 1/8th the units but oh gee they are so cool and 3d.

[sansanjuan]

Apologies if these have been previously discussed or dismissed� Some certainly may not be �DOMish� so they might be toggled.

DOM4 all on/offs

Capture and roleplay statistical anomalies during battle
e.g. a militia man inflicts massive damage and kills a Pretender just based on chance rolls. Capture the battle and promote the unit in some special way. Show a toe to toe replay of just that slugfest.

Map changing spells (certainly high very level)
Raise Land
Sink Land
Wall Province
Change Province type
Etc.

Lairs
Like sites but guarded specifically inside a province. Often contain magic items.

Assassin banding
Allow assassins to coordinate a simultaneous attack on a commander and/or allow a �henchman�

Quests

Tailorable magic items based on gem cost