The Ultimate List of Practical Additional Features

[ZaWolf]

I've just started playing this game and I suck.  I admit it.  But this game is still really fun.  Despite having only a few available characters to use, there are still a lot of strategic elements involved.  So as I've read through many other feature requests, I came across something Amorphis said that I think really holds some value-- he said, and I'm paraphrasing: When thinking of new features, make sure not to rob the game of its vintage style-- the 2 guardians, 1 mage + dice factor makes this a really interesting and fair game.

So with that in mind, I'd like to my suggestions, which keep in mind, may intentionally repeat other people's suggestions:

1.) Buddy List.  It's not so essential right now cause the lobby rarely has more than 5 people in it-- but definitely needs to be implemented in the future
a.) Tells you if they are online or offline
b.) If online, tells you if they are in the lobby, or in a game (in which case, it tells you the game title)

2.) Maps & the Map Editor-- Under this one category there are many things to suggest.  
a.) One feature already suggested is blocked spots that you can see over (e.g. a pond), this would add more strategy to character selection.  You might want a rogue, to snipe enemies beyond ponds if a map has a lot of them.
b.) A place in the forum where people can suggest maps they made in the map editor to be made official maps.  This would allow YOU the developer to benefit off user created content. (refer to marketplace- section c)
c.) Different sized maps.  The maps are too small to have 6-8 players in it and still maintain strategy over chaos. 2v2v2v2 would be really fun if there was space for it.
d.) If larger sized maps are implemented, a zoom in and zoom out feature may help to see the battlefield all at once, or focus on a section.

3.) Marketplace
a.) Packaged deals-- buy more for less
b.) Customization
bi.) People could possibly buy titles to go above or below their name or after (Pete, The Punisher or Steve, The SuperHERO) or before it (Pistol Pete or Savage Steve)
bii.) Perhaps their name text in a different color
biii.) Name Changer  - buy it to change your name, without having to get a new account and losing your stats
biv.) Outfits (although I think this may confuse people in terms of, is this a warrior with a robe or a rogue-- so it's profitable only if it doesn't cause character confusion)
c.) Map packs-- not slots, but rather a package of user created maps to buy (this goes back to profiting off user created content-- you can put all the user created maps from the forum into a package deal)

4.) Lagging-- seems to be a big problem in this game.  I'm not sure how the servers are set up, but I'm guessing they're Peer to Peer.  In which case, it would be nice to be able to pass host status from me to another guy during a game, if my internet decides it can't handle it.  I think this would allow users to potentially rid themselves of lag by forfeiting hosting over to someone with a better connection.  Again, I'm not sure if it's P2P, but if it is this feature would help a lot!

5.) Re-spawns.  This would allow for awesome co-op or single player wave games.  Where waves of monsters come in from four corners of the screen and you and your partner have only 3 lives which you must share (e.g. If I die twice, and he dies once-- we're all out of lives).

6.) 10, 25, 50, unlimited Waves

7.) Big map quests.  For example, a labyrinth of a map, (titled cleverly "King Mino's" or "Crete's Labyrinth") riddled with buffed Minotaurs which your players must fight their way to the end of, or for more interesting purposes you can add in fog of war, so they have to find their way there (but the first one probably requires the least amount of work)

8.) Quest specific evil creatures & mages (which can not be controlled by players-- this way you don't have to worry about balancing as much + too many heroes for players to use would cheapen the uniqueness of each hero).  Including Bosses with loads of health (50 - 100) and immunities to stuns (e.g. at the end of the labyrinth or spawn after you've cleared all enemies or waves).

9.) Disconnecting- people do it way too much and it leaves their units just standing there and their teamates, helpless-- fighting a 1v2 battle
a.) Computer takes over uncontrolled units-- it's not as good as having a player, but it's better than nothing
b.) Communication with computer allies, potential commands "Have Mage avoid attacks" "Help- Protect/shield my mage"  "Help- heal my units" "Be defensive"  "Be offensive" "Retreat" "Focus on X target"

10.) To further develop team communication-- an interface that allows a person to see his teamates cards would be great.  That way you can say for example, "Hey, if you can I could use that Heal on my Paladin" or ones that wouldn't be so obvious if you didn't know his cards like,  "Since you're out of sight of the opponent's mage, maybe you could use the Archeon's Might on my warrior?" or "Use that Sunder Armor on his Soul Reaver and I'll get him on my turn".


11.)  Easy, normal, hard setting for computer, which alters their stats slightly for unranked team games against the computer.  For example, hard computer may be +1 str, +3hp on each unit.  This would make it so a friend and I can do 2v2 against the computer and be challenged strategically.. whereas right now against the AI you have to do 2players vs 3comps for a challenge.  And the easy setting will help noobs or strategically impaired people get a handle on the gameplay and/or just have fun.



GAMEPLAY FEATURES-- I'm unsure of these because I like the gameplay as it is.. and plus they're very complicated and a lot of times unreasonable to incorporate but I'll suggest some anyways.  I have them separated from the other features, because I think they should take less priority.


1.) Directional facing (this could help support new abilities for old characters-- like a back stab ability for the rogue or a shield effect of paladins that makes them have 3 more armor in the front, 1 more on the sides and -3 on the back)

2.) As mentioned by others, customizable abilities for before game preparations.  Such as, switching out an active ability like the Rogue's "Finishing Shot" with a passive ability called "Deadly Accuracy" for +1 strength (or plus 2 to every roll so a roll of 12 becomes 14).  Whereas finishing shot allows you to kill a summon, then hit someone else for 2 potential kills-- plus 1 strength makes you have one more roll on an attack (or makes your rolls more likely to hit).  So you can see how people may prefer one over the other. It could potentially be a market place item-- the alternative abilities package.

3.) Just one or two more packages of units (any more than that and I think it would be cluttered).  Augmentation and Healing are two card types that don't really have a Mage for yet-- so maybe one hero with an ability to buff a units def (5val), hp (10val), str (15val) permanently (each unit just once--no stacking) and one hero with an ability to heal a unit +2, passive ability that enhances Paladin's heal by +1 (so it heals for 2) and passive ability that makes heal spells cost 1 less mana.  I think those both sound good, but not overpowered or too weak.  Just a suggestion.. my real point was just to say 1 or 2 more unit package to buy would be very profitable to the developer.


If you have any comments for or against any particular suggestion, or all of them, please bring it up so it can be discussed, dismissed or praised.

[Ross Przybylski]

Wow, ZaWolf!  Thank you for compiling this list together.  There are lots of excellent suggestions here and they are very well documented.  I really appreciate that.  Now that my IGF entry is complete, I plan to start prioritizing new features for the next update.  This list is going to come in quite handy.

[FrontaLobotomy]

Za,
 
You hit many nails, on many heads.  If I may briefly extrapolate, as the wife has entered "the mode".   All seem awesome ideas, and being able to pick and choose between them and other ideas posted, I think would be great.  As I've said before, and will come back to shortly, user customization is key, methinks.

Ross, me personally, I have seen far more suggestions, requests, etc, based on game-play options, and comparatively few in regards to character development.  By and large, I think we all would like to see more different startup options for battles.  I have faith that this has been taken into consideration, and noted duly.

High level of customization allows us to create scenarios, quests, racewars, grudgebattles, tournaments, reenactments, and untold other potential awesomeness.  I cant help but think we are going this route.

Bottom Line,  I cant wait for what comes next.

Regards

    FL

[kefkam]

11. easy normal and hard difficult to ia.

thats a great idea. it will be so nice to fight the cpu with HP x 2 (mage and guardians). :-)

4.lagging.

i never had lag problems , except when i play people with wifi, like gors.

[the stoat]

awesome ideas, zawolf, your clarity of expression is amazing, well said.
Looking at it from Ross's point of view, it'd be hard to accomodate all the good ideas, with little money coming in. I'd focus on the revenue raising, or cheap suggestions first. I'm not sure what'll do it, but once the snowball happens and we get tens of thousands of gamers, then bring on the features!