Project Clarity: General Thoughts

[Kemeno]

I mean, I think that if Valve can solve or at least mitigate the community problems behind the DOTA community then they can bring something valuable to the genre. Their technical improvements to the game are certainly welcome (and necessary, since they need to bring something to the table with DOTA2 and they're apparently not changing the mechanics).

My issue with DOTA2 is that they are doing nothing to advance the genre in terms of mechanics (to my knowledge, at least), and I really think that this is a shame. Valve clearly has shown that they have a lot of talented game designers and it's sad to see that they aren't trying to push the genre forward mechanically with that talent. I'm not saying that I think the mechanics of DOTA are bad but just because a game has good mechanics doesn't mean that you can't put effort into trying to iterate and improve off of them.

[RCIX]

So what are people's thoughts on how to improve the galactic mode planet tooltips?

[Draco18s]

And people wonder why every AAA game these days are cookie cutter identical.

Well, not all fanbases are like the dota one in that regard.  Though resistance to change will be present to some degree.

True.
(Also look at Starcraft -> Starcraft 2, the bug that allows for units to move and fire at the same time wasn't removed because all the South Koreans revolted.)

So what are people's thoughts on how to improve the galactic mode planet tooltips?

Actually the change I'd like to see is that when I do a search for a unit all other planet popups (i.e. number of enemy ships in the system, system name, etc) GO AWAY.

It's really hard to sift through the clutter for the singular green 1.

Secondly, I should be able to click on a planet and go there without having to exit search mode (which I'm not even sure how you do, all I do is hit Tab twice).

[doctorfrog]

Hey, you know how I can hit the Windows key and just start typing and a list of my programs instantly starts narrowing down based on what I've typed?

I'd like the ship search to work in that fashion:

Task: redirect all Raid Starships to a given planet.

1. Tab out to Galaxy Map.
2. Hit SPACE or some other dedicated key.
3. A li'l command window shows up near the bottom of the screen. Or top, side, whatever.
4. I start typing: R-A-I
5. List of ships immediately starts narrowing down to Raid Starships.
6. I hit TAB (the usual autocomplete key for command lines).
7. The command line autocompletes the entry to Raid Starships Mk I.
8. I hit TAB again.
9. Autocomplete scoots to the next available entry, Raid Starships Mk II.
10. I hit ENTER, and my ships are highlighted and selected.
11. I redirect them to where I want them.

So much less click-click-clickity-clackity hunt n peck. I know the above looks complicated, but I'm just spelling every step out. Really, it's just TAB, SPACE, type stuff, ENTER, RClick.

[RCIX]

Wow, Radar dampening has the weirdest name. Sounds nothing like what it does

[TechSY730]

Wow, Radar dampening has the weirdest name. Sounds nothing like what it does

Agreed, but I can't think of any other name that wouldn't be even less descriptive. Finding a good compact yet descriptive noun phrase for this moderately complicated mechanic may be tricky.

[RCIX]

Wow, Radar dampening has the weirdest name. Sounds nothing like what it does

Agreed, but I can't think of any other name that wouldn't be even less descriptive. Finding a good compact yet descriptive noun phrase for this moderately complicated mechanic may be tricky.

Maximum Targetable Range?

[keith.lamothe]

Maximum Targetable Range?

How will they know that means the range at which the unit can be targeted as opposed to the range at which the unit can target?

I know, if you think about it (since there's already a range number for the unit) it's obvious.  Which is an improvement over radar dampening.  But still not exactly "this is a clear interface element".

[RCIX]

Maximum Targetable Range?

How will they know that means the range at which the unit can be targeted as opposed to the range at which the unit can target?

I know, if you think about it (since there's already a range number for the unit) it's obvious.  Which is an improvement over radar dampening.  But still not exactly "this is a clear interface element".

I'll take "if you think about it, it's obvious" over "what the heck does radar dampening mean"

[Wanderer]

Maximum Targetable Range?

How will they know that means the range at which the unit can be targeted as opposed to the range at which the unit can target?

I know, if you think about it (since there's already a range number for the unit) it's obvious.  Which is an improvement over radar dampening.  But still not exactly "this is a clear interface element".

Defensive Targeting Disruptor... errr, crap, that sounds like it goes the OTHER way.  Errr... Sometimes a bit of KISS?  Untargetable past range: x

[RCIX]

Maximum Targetable Range?

How will they know that means the range at which the unit can be targeted as opposed to the range at which the unit can target?

I know, if you think about it (since there's already a range number for the unit) it's obvious.  Which is an improvement over radar dampening.  But still not exactly "this is a clear interface element".

Defensive Targeting Disruptor... errr, crap, that sounds like it goes the OTHER way.  Errr... Sometimes a bit of KISS?  Untargetable past range: x

That kinda sounds like you have to manually move stuff into that range manually then :x I mantis'd this though, with another idea.

[Draco18s]

Maximum Targetable Range?

How will they know that means the range at which the unit can be targeted as opposed to the range at which the unit can target?

I know, if you think about it (since there's already a range number for the unit) it's obvious.  Which is an improvement over radar dampening.  But still not exactly "this is a clear interface element".

Defensive Targeting Disruptor... errr, crap, that sounds like it goes the OTHER way.  Errr... Sometimes a bit of KISS?  Untargetable past range: x

ECM:

Electronic Counter Measures.

[Winge]

Wow, Radar dampening has the weirdest name. Sounds nothing like what it does

Agreed, but I can't think of any other name that wouldn't be even less descriptive. Finding a good compact yet descriptive noun phrase for this moderately complicated mechanic may be tricky.

For Space Planes, I call it 'Best Ability Ever' 

In the pictures below, you can see my planes taking out a Superfortress.  Alone.  On a Mark IV world.  With a Munitions Booster on the next planet over.  Only reason I lost any ships was surprise reinforcements while clearing Guard Posts.  And Ion Cannons, which I had to raid...

[zebramatt]

I can't particularly recall a time when I didn't immediately know what Radar Dampening meant...

[Mánagarmr]

Hey, you know how I can hit the Windows key and just start typing and a list of my programs instantly starts narrowing down based on what I've typed?

I'd like the ship search to work in that fashion:

Task: redirect all Raid Starships to a given planet.

1. Tab out to Galaxy Map.
2. Hit SPACE or some other dedicated key.
3. A li'l command window shows up near the bottom of the screen. Or top, side, whatever.
4. I start typing: R-A-I
5. List of ships immediately starts narrowing down to Raid Starships.
6. I hit TAB (the usual autocomplete key for command lines).
7. The command line autocompletes the entry to Raid Starships Mk I.
8. I hit TAB again.
9. Autocomplete scoots to the next available entry, Raid Starships Mk II.
10. I hit ENTER, and my ships are highlighted and selected.
11. I redirect them to where I want them.

So much less click-click-clickity-clackity hunt n peck. I know the above looks complicated, but I'm just spelling every step out. Really, it's just TAB, SPACE, type stuff, ENTER, RClick.

um...Control groups?