Suggestions for less clicking in Book 2

[CrackedButter]

Hi everyone, bought book one when it was out, never registered. Loved it though it annoyed me in places.

I waited for book two which I'm enjoying aside from a few interface niggles that I thought would have been cleared up after book one (same annoyances). I assumed the developers play their own games and would realise some game play elements are tedious and maybe they themselves would have done something about it.

I don't mean to be too critical, understand these are small specific things. But I do find I have to do too much clicking in the game to get things done. There are simpler ways to navigate around objects and barter for goods.


[*]When walking and your character hits a few trees (say 3 in a line). Why does he stop dead, rather than walk around the trees? The computer knows the direction via the cursor. Can't some pathfinding algorithm be inserted into the game, I dislike hand holding and I do it a lot. I have to re-click to get him/her to move again.

[*]When exploring, I click on a door or a chest in the distance does the character not walk to it, regardless of whether he can see it. Ultimately the end goal is to inspect that object or interact with it. Wouldn't it be simpler to allow the play to click a door in the distance and have the character walk straight up to it and perform the obvious action? Instead I have to click next to said object and then another click to open it or inspect it.

[*]When bartering many objects, why can't the default be set to 1 instead of 0?

[*]When bartering many objects, why isn't there a directional arrow shortcut from the keyboard so as to stop me from having to click and drag the slider each time?

[*]When making camp, the computer will say there isn't enough space, yet in most cases you can move 1 square to the left/right and then it's doable. Why not allow the computer to shift the camp to the nearest available space. Again it will prevent me from re-clicking all the time trying to find a space. One good example is if I quick travel to Farrock Mountains. If you rest immediately without moving the character it won't work because something is in the way of the camp. Why does that matter when to the left is a wide open space. Just have the AI shift the camp 1 square to the left. Warn the user if you have too, but just please stop me from re-clicking and trying to set up camp.

In a general sense I'm talking about stream lining the interface and intelligence of the game, I'm not bashing it, because it's a really good game. I feel my enjoyment of it would further increase with these fixes.

Importantly, and this is a complement of sorts. The interface employed would seem to work better on an iPad. It's geared in some way toward the touch interface. If this game was realised for the iPad I suppose I wouldn't make this post. That's how I feel about playing this game.

[KarlXII]

I agree on most of the interface issues. Things that could be used as input for Book 3.

[CrackedButter]

I agree on most of the interface issues. Things that could be used as input for Book 3.

Why not for Book 2 now? They don't seem like something major to code for.

[Viktoras]

[*]When walking and your character hits a few trees (say 3 in a line). Why does he stop dead, rather than walk around the trees? The computer knows the direction via the cursor. Can't some pathfinding algorithm be inserted into the game, I dislike hand holding and I do it a lot. I have to re-click to get him/her to move again.

I could be wrong...so correct me if so. However i believe from what i've seen in the game that this could be due to the following: one of the BIG bonuses to having Cartography is that you can see your way through a HEAVILY forested area. Trying to find your way through such a maze without a decent Cartography skill is ABSOLUTE frustration and near impossible. I believe it is this particular aspect of the game's mechanics that would DILUTE or lessen the need for such skill if it were to simply auto track you to where u are going.

Just a thought.

[Viktoras]

[*]When bartering many objects, why can't the default be set to 1 instead of 0?
[*]When bartering many objects, why isn't there a directional arrow shortcut from the keyboard so as to stop me from having to click and drag the slider each time?

I agree with your observation of the bartering. It can be a little tedious at times, however I don't find it overwhelmingly so. It would definitely be nice to see this perhaps changed in book 3.

Having said that, I LOVE this game! If it were to remain unchanged in book 3 it would have ZERO impact on my decision to purchase it. One thing I've learned in over 30+years of PLAYING computer games (i'm 42 in case u care) that NOTHING is perfect.

[Viktoras]

I agree on most of the interface issues. Things that could be used as input for Book 3.

Why not for Book 2 now? They don't seem like something major to code for.

Honestly I would much rather see work proceed with Book 3, with fixes to bugs on book 2 being his/their only distraction. I feel your pain. But remember ...
Patience IS a virtue

[CrackedButter]

@Viktoras, good point regarding the auto-tracking.

However, if patience is a virtue, then be patient for Book 3 and allow the developers to work on fixing Book 2. While the gameplay and storyline is solid enough, you don't want newcomers to download the demo and find the UI is from 1995. (Though porting it to the iPad wouldn't give it that feel because as I said before, the UI would work really well on that device).

I'd rather Book 2 was worked on before Book 3.

[Viktoras]

Mostly because i feel Book II is great the way it is....i do acknowledge it is not perfect. But for ME...they are only minor annoyances. Just how I feel is all.

As far as newcomers being turned off from the game due to these annoyances I would certainly not want that to happen. If they are truly so annoying as to keep people from buying the game then i would definitely vote for them to be fixed. But from my OWN personal experience playing the game I don't find them to be all that. I hope you can see past them enough to keep playing what i believe to be a FAR better game than just about ANY RPG released in the last many years.

[CrackedButter]

Mostly because i feel Book II is great the way it is....i do acknowledge it is not perfect. But for ME...they are only minor annoyances. Just how I feel is all.

As far as newcomers being turned off from the game due to these annoyances I would certainly not want that to happen. If they are truly so annoying as to keep people from buying the game then i would definitely vote for them to be fixed. But from my OWN personal experience playing the game I don't find them to be all that. I hope you can see past them enough to keep playing what i believe to be a FAR better game than just about ANY RPG released in the last many years.

Consider that the last decent RPG games I played with were Baldur's Gate series and IceWind Dale series I would agree.

GodVille on the iPhone is pretty good as well mind but its entirely text based.

[Viktoras]

Have friends that have an iPhone....but not me....so I have no idea what that is. Icewind dale was great.....I was a HUGE Neverwinter Nights PW player....i loved some of the Persistent Worlds out there and played that game till my fingers bled.

[xolotl]

I agree with many of your points, especially about the bartering. I'm not convinced the pathfinding stuff for your character is a good idea, though. Pathfinding done very well can be quite useful, but even moderately-good pathfinding can end up more annoying than not having pathfinding at all. Personally I'd rather that BW put time into other aspects of the game, rather than spending what I assume would be a long time getting pathfinding to work properly for the player. (Not to mention that since historically the engine has never done anything the player hasn't explicitly instructed, I'm not sure it's a good fit anyway.)

That said, it's not like I'd be disappointed if such a thing did end up in Book 3. :)

[Mod.]

I dislike hand holding and I do it a lot. I have to re-click to get him/her to move again.

Click your mouse wheel. You character will continue walking until you click it again. Then you just have to keep your hand on your mouse to navigate him/her.

[CrazyBernie]

Or.... use the 'W' key to engage auto-walk. The PC will also skirt some obstacles that are diagonally situtated.

[Viktoras]

'W' key can be a godsend at times.....but it does require your serious attention while using it.....ran myself right into a mob o nasty's when i wasn't pay'n attention hehe

[SpottedShroom]

It might be nice for auto-walk to turn off when something attacks you. I suppose some people might want to use it to run from baddies, but they can just hold the button down :)

Or did you mean you just got too close for comfort rather than actually got into combat with them?