I really want to love this game, but I just can't...
Vacpower
Member
in Suggestions
Ok, I've owned the game for quite a while now, and so far this scenario happened at least 5 or 6 times in the last 3 years : I install the game, I am very enthusiastic, then 3-4 hours Later, after many restarted games, I rage and uninstall the game.
And with v.1.0, well, it happened again.
My overall feeling about the game is that I end up fighting against the terrible UI instead of Corruptrons.
Here is a list of simple things that end up ruining the game for me (when you add them all.)
1. UI : There is no clear "exit" key. By that I mean, very often you end up in a contextual menu for building things (or whatever) and you want to just exit this and issue a simple command. But there is no way to do that reliably without searching for an exit X button on screen, which isn't always there (sometimes for whatever reasons there is on on top of the screen, sometimes not), and to make it worse, there is no key to reliably just "exit" whatever state menu you are in to just go back to "main view with nothing selected". ESC : Don't work, just bring the main game menu and pause the game. Clicking with left mouse somewhere random, doesn't work you will just build whatever you have selected there, right click doesn't work, will rotate your piece. The only key I found to just exit the building menu (of the create task menu) is TAB, but even then it's not reliable, in some context it bring the build menu, in some not. So basically there need to be a simple way to deseled and cancel whatever. It's crucial to any UI.
2. UI (again) : Total lack of information. It's a game about building things with specific ressources (and now in 1.0 there is a shitload of different ones), but almost nowhere in the UI you get the basic information you actually need, like "What do you need to build that" (often you get it when you try to build it, you should have a popup menu EVERYWHERE you can select something to build.) In the fixed menu for building and tasks, you get absolutely no information. In the circular mouse menu, sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. Also, you should be able to have a better way to get information about stockpiles. Like how many "orange burning metal thing" you have, or how many Iron, Stones, whatever. (and not just in a microscopic pop-up when you mouse over a stockpile.) Plus, the game desperately need information pop-up about the things you can build. Building things in this game is just so inconsistent, and it's very very often unclear what you will be able to build or not. For example, wood ramp, sometimes it seems to work, sometimes don't. There must be some rule, but the game need to tell you about it. What exactly is the difference when building a simple wood beam or one with the diagonal trust holding it underneat (I know now that it let you go further, but honestly I think some simplification would be better, like simply needing a trust every single time you want to build an horizontal beam. Or not needing one ever (and have it be automatically applied when you add a beam).
3. UI (again again !) : The bottom menu is barely usable and needlessly complicated. Why do I need a keyboard shortcut to then use the mouse to make a task more or less important. Why now simple +- sign. Plus, it's almost useless since you can't easily see which task is what. (no name when you mouse pass over it). And overall it doesn't seem to behave reliably, very often I click something in the bottom and what I expect doesn't happen. Again, it's an overall theme with the UI, it's unreliable.
4. You need to be able to move things. The game is already so slow and hard to manage as it is, having to destroy an ward to move it is just so annoying. Plus, again UI, it's never clear when you destroy something what you will get from it ? Will you get some wood, some stone, some iron ? We need to know !
5. You should be able to pause the game and create tasks, unpause and see the bricktrons execute. I understand that the developers see CS as some sort of RTS, but I think it's a huge mistake and it is totally killing what is fun about the game. The game is about planning, it's about building things to achieve something. So far either in invasion or conquest, I feel like i'm fighting the very bad UI and control scheme this game have, and the fact that if I want to build something, I have to manage real time bricktrons who doesn't always behave reliably, plus they often take a while to react (which always make you wonder if they will actually execute what you want them to do.)
Also, the core gameplay is building castle, however the game is so unforgiving to any little planning mistake you can make, it just feel frustrating having to plan ahead such a complicated structure without being able to take your time. To make thing worse (UI again !), when you enter build mode you lose the timer for the next attack in invasion mode. (really !?).
Plus, there is so many little things you have to micromanage about ressources, like having enough stockpile (they will all stop if there is no place to put things), it's just not fun to do that in real time, while managing the switch from workers to soldiers who is often very cumbersome in itself.
Anyway, I feel that the ressource you should be managing in Invasion/Conquest mode is the actual time it will take for your bricktrons to execute some tasks, not the time you actually need to plan every brick of your castle.
And before anyone answer me : No, sandbox isn't the mode I'm looking for. There is no purpose to what you are actually building. It's a fun way to learn the game, but the real core experience should be invasion and conquest. You should have a mode where you have to actually defend while having time to as least make plans for a kick ass castle.
---
So far it's what I can think about. I think also those things could easily be "fixed" (or changed). I think however the whole in-game UI should be completely reworked. I get that you have lot of control over building, and honestly I love that you really need to plan a structure inside your castle if you actually want to build something big. However, I feel like the difficulty should be in planning well, and not planning while rushed and while fighting a very very very inconsistent UI.
(and keep the real time for those who want to play multiplayer.)
And with v.1.0, well, it happened again.
My overall feeling about the game is that I end up fighting against the terrible UI instead of Corruptrons.
Here is a list of simple things that end up ruining the game for me (when you add them all.)
1. UI : There is no clear "exit" key. By that I mean, very often you end up in a contextual menu for building things (or whatever) and you want to just exit this and issue a simple command. But there is no way to do that reliably without searching for an exit X button on screen, which isn't always there (sometimes for whatever reasons there is on on top of the screen, sometimes not), and to make it worse, there is no key to reliably just "exit" whatever state menu you are in to just go back to "main view with nothing selected". ESC : Don't work, just bring the main game menu and pause the game. Clicking with left mouse somewhere random, doesn't work you will just build whatever you have selected there, right click doesn't work, will rotate your piece. The only key I found to just exit the building menu (of the create task menu) is TAB, but even then it's not reliable, in some context it bring the build menu, in some not. So basically there need to be a simple way to deseled and cancel whatever. It's crucial to any UI.
2. UI (again) : Total lack of information. It's a game about building things with specific ressources (and now in 1.0 there is a shitload of different ones), but almost nowhere in the UI you get the basic information you actually need, like "What do you need to build that" (often you get it when you try to build it, you should have a popup menu EVERYWHERE you can select something to build.) In the fixed menu for building and tasks, you get absolutely no information. In the circular mouse menu, sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. Also, you should be able to have a better way to get information about stockpiles. Like how many "orange burning metal thing" you have, or how many Iron, Stones, whatever. (and not just in a microscopic pop-up when you mouse over a stockpile.) Plus, the game desperately need information pop-up about the things you can build. Building things in this game is just so inconsistent, and it's very very often unclear what you will be able to build or not. For example, wood ramp, sometimes it seems to work, sometimes don't. There must be some rule, but the game need to tell you about it. What exactly is the difference when building a simple wood beam or one with the diagonal trust holding it underneat (I know now that it let you go further, but honestly I think some simplification would be better, like simply needing a trust every single time you want to build an horizontal beam. Or not needing one ever (and have it be automatically applied when you add a beam).
3. UI (again again !) : The bottom menu is barely usable and needlessly complicated. Why do I need a keyboard shortcut to then use the mouse to make a task more or less important. Why now simple +- sign. Plus, it's almost useless since you can't easily see which task is what. (no name when you mouse pass over it). And overall it doesn't seem to behave reliably, very often I click something in the bottom and what I expect doesn't happen. Again, it's an overall theme with the UI, it's unreliable.
4. You need to be able to move things. The game is already so slow and hard to manage as it is, having to destroy an ward to move it is just so annoying. Plus, again UI, it's never clear when you destroy something what you will get from it ? Will you get some wood, some stone, some iron ? We need to know !
5. You should be able to pause the game and create tasks, unpause and see the bricktrons execute. I understand that the developers see CS as some sort of RTS, but I think it's a huge mistake and it is totally killing what is fun about the game. The game is about planning, it's about building things to achieve something. So far either in invasion or conquest, I feel like i'm fighting the very bad UI and control scheme this game have, and the fact that if I want to build something, I have to manage real time bricktrons who doesn't always behave reliably, plus they often take a while to react (which always make you wonder if they will actually execute what you want them to do.)
Also, the core gameplay is building castle, however the game is so unforgiving to any little planning mistake you can make, it just feel frustrating having to plan ahead such a complicated structure without being able to take your time. To make thing worse (UI again !), when you enter build mode you lose the timer for the next attack in invasion mode. (really !?).
Plus, there is so many little things you have to micromanage about ressources, like having enough stockpile (they will all stop if there is no place to put things), it's just not fun to do that in real time, while managing the switch from workers to soldiers who is often very cumbersome in itself.
Anyway, I feel that the ressource you should be managing in Invasion/Conquest mode is the actual time it will take for your bricktrons to execute some tasks, not the time you actually need to plan every brick of your castle.
And before anyone answer me : No, sandbox isn't the mode I'm looking for. There is no purpose to what you are actually building. It's a fun way to learn the game, but the real core experience should be invasion and conquest. You should have a mode where you have to actually defend while having time to as least make plans for a kick ass castle.
---
So far it's what I can think about. I think also those things could easily be "fixed" (or changed). I think however the whole in-game UI should be completely reworked. I get that you have lot of control over building, and honestly I love that you really need to plan a structure inside your castle if you actually want to build something big. However, I feel like the difficulty should be in planning well, and not planning while rushed and while fighting a very very very inconsistent UI.
(and keep the real time for those who want to play multiplayer.)
Comments
2. First thing you've got build-in help section. Second thing is available, you can see on the left panel all minerals/materials you got.
3. Agreed.
4. Many RTS doesn't say what you get when you destroy something.
5. Active pause will kill the difficulty.
6. The problem about "not much time to design a castle" is a real thing. I think that Castle Story misses one crucial mode: something like conquest but only 2 crystals on a map and Corruptrons building they base. It could give more time to design castle carefully and also it could be still fun to play because of "versus" mode. But because of the way how Castle Story is designed, it's so hard to make it.
2. I can mostly agree to this, but ideas needs to be fleshed out to fully solve this issue. It's pretty complex to design a way to teach the game and the current status of the game.
3. I can understand this. I don't have any issues with the current implementation however.
4. You can grab any Worker and right click a ward to pick it up. Any ward. If you tell them to drop it on the ground, it will be placed on the ground the same as if you built it with a Construction Task.
5. Active pause has been turned down by the devs, and will likely always be. I agree with them on this choice. There is no difficulty if you don't have to react to what is happening. What would make this less of an issue however, is making it easier to do certain tasks, like tell your knights to attack a singular target (often my mouse misses, and my knights run past, getting hit). If your issue is you want to be building, either use Debug mode, or Sandbox. I believe the challenge prevents the game from becoming easily boring, however there are a few quality of life improvements that could be made to decrease frustration.
6. I think Sandbox is what you're looking for, but not to play, but to build and then transfer that building to a new map. So you start a Sandbox game on the map you want to play, build your castle using Debug mode or without debug mode if you want, then transfer the blocks (and removed blocks if you want), to a new custom map similar to how Riverains has a prebuilt castle.