Pandaqi
commented
5 years ago Gameplay ideas: Monitor Control
Add some sort of functionality (like a button / role / "bidding system") that allows you to control what is displayed on the monitor. That way, we can zoom in more, and display more detail.
For example, the monitor only displays a 10x10 grid of the map. The person with control over it, can move it around, zoom in/out, etc.
Gameplay ideas: Clans & Mythology
At the start of the game, there will be multiple "groups" or "clans" or "tribes". Each player ship belongs to one of these groups.
Each group has certain advantages and disadvantages.
At the start of the game, all groups start off equally. A certain number of docks are in their possession, they have a certain number of ships, etc.
During the game, you must try to expand your control. Seize docks from other groups. Destroy ships from other groups.
Soms docks might refuse to trade with you, because of your reputation. On the other hand, pirate docks might give you --- a co-pirate --- an amazing deal!
I want the world to feel like there's actual people living there, actual groups fighting for what they think is right. You are dropped into the world, trying to protect your group, protect your ship, and fight for the same ideals.
IMPORTANT: It's important to keep the game simple, of course. I don't want this game to have a 10+ minute explanation. ("And there are 20 different classes that have a different win condition. Let's go through all of them now!")
Functionality: touch not responding
On certain devices, touch doesn't work, only mouse.
(On other devices, it's the other way around.)
Try to find out how to support both touch and mouse events PROPERLY. The game falls apart if you can't move the compass or move the map
IDEA: Maybe the problem isn't with registering touch, it's with the coordinates. Because, once you click on the canvas, the game just JUMPS to an empty part of the canvas.
Interface ideas
Right now, you can't really see what a role DOES or what a certain upgrade brings.
As such, I want to do three things:
Some roles might also be too simple or too hard. Don't really know. I think they're alright and most improvements lie within the gameplay and the world itself.
Bug: Monitor Display
Update sprites when they go in/out of fog. Now sprites are "rooted to the spot", if they change.
Also, shadows don't seem to update properly.
We really need the docks to be available, including their deals. This gives players something to go for, a way to plan ahead.
Bug: Crew
On firing the cannons, crew is deducted from the total permanently. This shouldn't happen.
Also, it's now possible to be without crew, which means you can't do anything or go anywhere. Should I simply disallow this, by always making the first movement free?
Bug: computer ships
It seems as though computer ships are standing still sometimes. Is that so?
Gameplay problem: cartographer map
You should be able to see other units, even at low levels.
Higher levels simply ...
At night, the map should go dark. Monsters aren't visible anymore. Other ships have their own light.
Gameplay problem: battling is too hard (and chaotic)
It's really hard to orient yourself in the right direction. On top of that, you can easily forget to load the cannons or have too little cannonballs in your inventory.
It should be cheaper to get cannons, and cannonballs themselves should be cheaper/easier to come by.
Gameplay problem: too hard, too simple
At some points, the game is too hard. It's hard to get resources, know where to go, hit an enemy,
At other points, the game is too easy. Quickly, many roles are easy to use and navigate. Why go beyond level 2 or 3?
The timer on 20 seconds is quite fast. 30-60 seconds is more reasonable.
IDEA: Reward for discovering an island? Reward for being the first one to find a dock?
On one hand, there's too little to do. You just wander around, looking for some islands or docks.
On the other hand, it's overwhelming for new players. They can't find any strategy, because there's just too many options and too much going on.
Gameplay problem: world doesn't feel intuitive and lively
The world feels like a hot mess right now. There's ships/monsters flying all over the place. The world is probably a little too large (with a little too much island mass).
Fog reveal should go a little faster.
The night mode, of course, should be improved significantly. Only display lights if something is NOT within the fog. Give ships nice realistic lights (both a light texture and a simple yellowish gradient at spots)
Display which ships are in the game, who is inside them (including avatars), and their reputation.
Reputation should become a large part of the game. Both player's reputation, as well as monster reputation, dock reputation, etc.
Also, there's NO reason currently to attack other players. There should be. There should be other ways of winning, like controlling X docks simultaneously or collecting 5 treasures. This forces players to hinder each other, find each other, steal stuff, etc.
Find a way to include the "pirate" and "explorer's aspect" into the base game more. Treasures? Hidden wonders? Secret parts of the map? Things about the current game you need to discover, like weather, situations between groups/clans/sides, mythology, etc.?