I've only played a few games on the new client so far, but there's one huge issue that I think needs to be addressed immediately. When "something" happens, the interface HAS to show it. When I say "something", I mean anything Dominion related -- playing cards, revealing cards, moving a card from one location to another, etc.
I know many serious Dominion players liked to play with animations off on the old system, and that's probably the reason the new client works the way it does. In the new system it's inarguably harder to follow what's happening. This is killer for new players. If an experienced player has trouble following what's happening, a new player will be completely lost (and will probably not continue playing).
As the new system currently works, there's a ton of information that is ONLY visible if you check the log. The log needs to be a supplemental source of information that simply lists all the things that were shown through the interface. In other words, it needs to be possible to play without consulting the log at all.
Here are a couple examples of the problems related to specific cards that I've seen in just the few games I've played.
Herald
The revealed card isn't actually revealed. I don't have any idea what it was (until I check the log). Or say you hit a big chain of Heralds -- you don't see any of it. All you see is that suddenly the Herald you played has a "3" over it, and some numbers in your hand changed.
Magpie
Same issue with the revealed card. "Wait, did another copper just magically appear in my hand, or is there still a card on top of my deck I should know about?"
Jester
Instead of revealing an actual card, there's only text saying "a copper" and asking who should gain it. There should be a big picture of the card on the screen while the players makes their choice.
Raze
I self-trash a Raze, and "nothing" happens. Checking the log, I can see that 2 coppers were revealed, so one of them is now in my hand. I'm all for removing the stupid decision of which copper I want, but at least flash them up on the screen so I can see what's happening.
Hunting Party
Once again, I play it and then my hand has magically changed. Did I draw the first two cards of my deck, or did I cycle through the whole thing? Half my Hunting Parties could have been only drawing a single card, and I wouldn't have had any idea it was happening.
I think this issue is hugely important. If it's not addressed, I think this will single-handedly kill new player adoption of Dominion Online. Clicking a card and having a multi-step process resolve instantly is not only confusing, but it's just not very fun.
I have a few other small pieces of feedback/suggestions, but I'll report them later. I want to keep this thread focused on this one issue because I really do feel it's vital to fix it immediately.
Good point.
Can I +1 this? How can I +1 a post?
Also responding to just agree. I found moments confusing, and can only imagine less experienced or completely new players being entirely baffled. I think options for slower animations would also help.
Yes! The default setting for new players needs to have explicit graphics or messages on the main screen that describe every action, for both the player and their opponents. This is one thing that MF did well.
It would be nice to have a move summary display at the end of each opponent's turn, which shows in an orderly display: cards played, cards discarded, cards trashed, other cards used, and points gained. Then you would click on it to move on to the next turn. Of course if all of that was obvious while being played then it wouldn't be necessary.
One of the things that frustrates me is having to review the log to see what my opponent purchased, because with bots it goes by fast and you only see the last card discarded, not what was purchased.
I like Scott's idea of a general "opponent turn summary". I don't care how many village/smithies they played, but it would be nice to have a (graphic) summary of cards gained. From there the feature could be expanded to include stuff like trashed cards and junk given to me, but it'd have to be restrictive in what it shows -- otherwise it's just reproducing the log. Obviously this shouldn't be a mandatory popup for everyone, but there are several ways it could be implemented.
I am in complete agreement with this thread.
I will also chime in to agree that being clear on what is happening and removing dependence on the log is one area where the UI could be vastly improved.
Donald X. suggested once removing the log and making it playable without it. I believe he was right. While I love the log, as it is, the setup is very confusing for people new to Dominion or for those who don't use a log to play. There are a lot of people that are purely visual.
Quote from: Beyond Awesome on 12 December 2016, 01:37:49 AM
Donald X. suggested once removing the log and making it playable without it.
This 100%
The log needs to be purely optional. A good example for where the log should be used is "Wait a second, how many silvers am I going to gain if I play this Treasure Hunter?" The log shouldn't be used for "I played a card...what the hell just happened?"
Quote from: allanfieldhouse on 12 December 2016, 03:16:11 AM
Quote from: Beyond Awesome on 12 December 2016, 01:37:49 AM
Donald X. suggested once removing the log and making it playable without it.
This 100%
The log needs to be purely optional. A good example for where the log should be used is "Wait a second, how many silvers am I going to gain if I play this Treasure Hunter?" The log shouldn't be used for "I played a card...what the hell just happened?"
Count me as one more voice in favor of this.
For what it's worth, I very much agree with the things said in this thread.
Glad to hear that. Because I also agree to 100% here.
+1 from me to all of this as well.