RE: Version 2 enhancements I'd like to see

From: Nick Hollingsworth <NickH_at_...>
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 18:48:26 -0000


Me:
> 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.

Devore, Ernest L (#35):
> I wish there was some way to keep track of all the comments
> your traders and emissaries make... now which did my trader
> say had more horses than me? Was it the Eagles? Or maybe
> the Koronoldi...

Exactly the problem I was originally thinking of when I asked for a 'what we know (or think we know)' screen. Anyway I'm going to go and press that '?' button and see what happens.

Kyer, Jeffery (#35):
> Not really. It would take up a LOT of data and space as a screen.
> I just don't think a Clan Attitude Spreadsheet would quite fit the genre
> of the game...

Why does it have to be a spreadsheet?
What would be wrong with a screen that showed a scrolled list of all the clan names coloured like they are on the map to show relationships, sorted in a choice of ways (by friendlyness, by strength, by cattle size, whatever), with a text description of what the clan _thinks_ it knows about the highlighted one.

Martin Crim (#35)::
> If anyone is interested, I'll post the wordperfect 7 file for the tracking
> sheet.

Yes please. Though something Word has a chance of opening would be better. Word 97 thinks it can open wordperfect 6. Or just post it as text.

Devore, Ernest L (#35):
> Yeah, they can improve the interface and have a whole hell
> of a lot of room to grow with this genre. A tribe of nomads...
> I'd play. A township of the Pharoah... I'd play. A band of
> Telmori or trolls... I'd play.

Quite.
Though in fact I'd play even if they didn't improve the interface.

> Having a pop up info screen
> or something would be a wonderful addition to an already wonderful game.

Lest it appear that I am wingeing and don't appreciate the efforts of the A-Sharp posse I'd like to say what a load of fun I'm having with KoDP. Its the first computer game I have bought for myself for ages and one of very few games that I didn't get bored with after a few days. So any improvements to KoDP would just be icing on the cake.

For me its also the first description of Orlanthi culture that really gets its
message across. To think that in the early '80s we thought they were basically
the greeks (from the early illustrations in the rulebooks) with an element of
the wild west (from the apple lane scenario book). KoDP and a digested version
of "Cattle Lords and Clansmen" should be compulsory backgrounders for all new
orlanthi campaigns.

It's a shame for the game that you have to play it a bit to realise just how good it is. I bet highly-graphic no-gameplay games just walk out the store in comparison.

Nick H

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