RE: Version 2 enhancements I'd like to see

From: Nick Hollingsworth <NickH_at_...>
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 14:23:56 -0000


Bryan Thexton (Digest 34):

> I doubt whether it makes economic sense to do a major
> revision on this game, as opposed to putting their
> programming efforts into a new game (

But, assuming the game is not too hardcoded for dragon pass, it might make sense to put effort into an limited upgrade of the engine and interface while creating brand new data files for say holy country (or whereever). This gives a new product to ship without a load of programming. If they did this the perhaps it would then make sense to ship the existing scenario files with the improved engine and interface as an upgraded KoDP. ... Or perhaps not, only A-Sharp know whats under the hood.

Top of my wish list would be a scenario editor in a years time. This would allow the hardened glorantha fan base to develop other scenarios, with an eye to A-Sharp being able to ship an expansion pack later that contained the ones that worked. This sort of thing happened for Age Of Empires. The problem (apart from getting good art, agreeing licence terms, and so on) would be getting the scenarios 'accurate' enough to satisfy Issaries Inc.
Anyway - Reality check time.

If we are talking about changes to KoDP itself then my list would include:

  1. Being able to get to the tula screen from the carved menu thing. This would remove the desire to have leaders give me equivalent info.
  2. Have the game record and provide me with what we know about other leaders and clans. I notice that trade missions often return with info about troop and herd levels, leaders attitudes and such like, but I have not found a way of recovering the info when I want it short of taking notes which I don't want to have to do. So: 2.a provide a 'what we know about other clans' screen 2.b make this available from _within_ an event.

Which brings me to

3. Allow me to get at information from within an event. At the moment once I get a list of choices I have to rely entirely on my ring to provide me with support info. Even though I know the information is available on other screens.
For example, I am often presented with a choice in how I handle another clan, but can't recall from the clan name tion how I feel about them. I need to see the map to recall who they are and what my policy is to them. I could answer all this if I could view the other screens from within the event

4. Gather clan info.
First have the screen that tells you for each clan

- your relationhip with them
- the strength you think they are at
- the type of clan they are
- their herd, wealth, etc levels

The info might not be accurate, but at least you could be presented with an opinion and a clue to the strength of the opinion.
Then when raiding and trading them this info and the strength of the opinion can be updated.

5. Clan type, pre-history and recent history. As others have said, it would be good if your leaders appeared a little less random and a bit more affected by these things at the start. It would also be good new people leaders turned up during the game who appeared to have been raised in your tula - ie had been going to the shrines and temples you have built. Probably the way you alot blessings and how much you raid or farm (etc) should affect the way the young grow too.

For example I have an out and out war clan who raid constantly. We have a shrine to storm bull and a temple to humakt but have had only one humakt and one storm bull in about 20 years. We have a temple to issaries but have only had two traders so far. We have a shrine to vinga but our one vingan died ages ago. What we do have is an enormous number of ernaldans. Its got to the point now when I have all six non ernaldans on the ring - one more loss and I wont have seven different dieties represented in the clan let alone the ring.

Not that I mind. I'm quite enjoying it in an irritated sort of way. But It would be nicer if I felt it was just bad luck rather than there was no connection with the way my clan was set up.

I haven't reached the tribe stage yet so theres nothing I can say about that.

Nick H

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