Messages

Proof: https://imgur.com/a/SNydGoH

Game ID: #30392456

Stalled game when I was ahead, also "enjoying the long wait c***".  See screenshot, check game log. 

[Start of Turn Effects:]

Okay, look.  I was fine with it a year ago, when the client came out.  Buttons in the logs.  A bit janky, but it'll get fixed.  Since then, well, I don't need to say anything.  So!  Rather than gripe, here's some suggestions:

Start of Turn Effects:

At the start of a turn with multiple mandatory start of turn effects, well, the play space is empty!  Start of turn.  So move an image of all the cards into the play space and give them glowing red borders, and fade the rest of the screen except for your hand (20% screen just to fade it, let people disable it in the options if they want).  Clicking on card says "play it". 

For optional cards, do the same but don't fade everything, and outline the optional cards in yellow.  This will also let you mix and match mandatory and optional triggers, since the red/yellow will tell players which is which. 

Reactions

Enemy attack: Pop them up 50 pixels or so, and outline them in blue (since blue is the color of reactions).   Put the attack card on the screen in the opponent's area - so you see Militia, and can react with Diplomat, Moat, or both.  Add a button "hide attack card" so people can see the board, and a button "Don't react."  If the card isn't in your hand, pop up an image of the card with a "hide" button.

For reactions you trigger, pop them up the same, same with the button.  Same deal with them no longer being in your hand for the reaction, same with the hide button.


I know you're missing a UI designer, and that therefore this is very difficult, but I think it's very much worth considering, especially if you get one.  It's low hanging fruit.

[1. An offline client, allowing you to play campaigns against bots]

Here are some features we have on our wishlist; please let me know if you would appreciate/use them:

Username:Sharajat

1. An offline client, allowing you to play campaigns against bots

I would only use this in conjunction with a phone app.  I do not have any desire to play bot dominion on my PC.

2. A bot with a setting for different play styles  & 3. A strong bot.

Could be fun for testing things.  These are similar questions, and I really think that the playstyles is important for casual players and players who don't like the stress of playing against humans, and as a teaching tool. 


  4. Options for timed games

Oh gosh, I don't really want this feature.  Maybe speed-clock style, where you have a 5 minute time bank, and you have like 30 seconds to take your turn, with extra time added to your "bank"?  Some games are horrid slogs, so this is the only way to do that.  When the game naturally takes 30+ turns due to the board, you can't complete it the way you can a 12 turn game.

  5. Options for undo settings

Yes, I want the option to auto-approve all undos that don't reveal extra information(like, clicked the wrong card) and the option to consider allowing undos that did reveal information (accidentally clicked wrong action with enchantress token active)

6. Online mini-tournaments; the option to easily create one for you & your friends.

Hell yes!

7. Option to invite specific players to your table

Hell yes!  Limit it to friends list to avoid invite spam from randoms, but please put this in.  Please. 

8. More translations (to what language?)'

This question seems poor, since the thing is that all your current players understand all the languages you have, so you're not reaching any new markets.  For new markets:

Chinese: This is obvious.  The second most spoken language in the world.
Japanese: Big board gaming culture, could be very popular.

9. Better animations when cards are gained/bought/played/...

Gosh, a few things that are confusing is currently Hexes.  Please flash the Hex on the screen for 2-3 seconds.  Actually flash all attacks that don't involve decisions on the screen for a few seconds.  It's not like the player has much to do when it's their opponent's turn.  It's really useful information, and this moves it out of the log.

10. Better visualization of split piles, Archive/Crypt contents, Prince targets, ...

Both halves of the split visible on mouseover.  Add medium sized "icons" for archives, Native Villages, Islands, Gear, etc.  There's not many "storage" cards, and it's vanishingly rare you'd use more than 3 icons in one game.  They can afford to eat some real estate for visibility (maybe next to the player name?)

10. Option to hide the log

The game is literally unplayable without it right now.  This is the end goal of a LONG string of improvements.

11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?)
12. iPhone app (or just improved compatibility?)

I use iPhone, not Android, so iPhone is much more important to me.  Personally, I hear developing on the iPhone is much easier than Android, due to there only being a few hardware configurations. 

13. Downloadable game logs

Yes?  But more important, uploadable game logs.  Let the player open a log, and have the engine play out the log with both hands revealed. 

14. Improved moderation (dealing with chat abuse, slowplayers, ...)

Have specific report categories.  Autodetect slowplay, kick it up to a mod fast. 

15. Tutorial on how to play Dominion

Please?  Or at least a prominent link to a Youtube video.  Actually you need a real entry page, dominion.games doesn't suffice. 

16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online.

Yes.  Youtube video minimum.

Paying cover charge at a bar doesn't entitle you to be a dick to the patrons.  Paying for seats at a stadium doesn't entitle you to shout insults and throw things at the players.  Buying concert tickets doesn't entitle you to rush the stage and disrupt the concert. 

Just because you paid doesn't mean you suddenly have an unlimited right to do anything you want.  If you want to go in front of a judge to explain that they were totally mean to you because you only played cards in 5 minute intervals, or couldn't resist using racial slurs as exclamation points, you can expect to be laughed out of the courtroom, and pay their legal fee too.

What, is there a time when I don't want my opponent to have their -1 card token?

Yes of course! Possession, for example. Or, I have KC-KC-Sheme-Graverobber-Pillage running while you have 7 bridges on your Mat but only one Native Village left in your deck.
Dominon lives by its edge cases.

At the same time, the "play all treasures" button should be designed to function logically.  Edge cases can be solved by the simple measure of playing treasures manually.  I'd be happy to discuss that edge case with you elsewhere, but seriously.

Although that does remind me of another one, Black Market should get a "Play All Treasures" button because although it's slightly more common not to want to there, the "don't buy" button is exactly where the "play all treasures" button normally is, so easiest way to solve the misclicks is add a second button.

I generally allow undos if no hidden information has been revealed, or if it might have been revealed but it's an obvious play error like playing a card draw card before a village.  Or for treasure order-play issues (like dumping fortune, gold/gold/silver, undo request, I've seen this one a stupid number of times and done it at least once).

Special call out to undos in Enchantress games, especially Enchantress/lighthouse since it can be extremely difficult to tell what the gamestate actually is on your turn.  I am super lenient with undos in all enchantress games.

I disallow undos if they get stupid excessive or if they seem strategic.  Like Governor picking trashing, he trashes an estate for a $4 I trash an estate for a $3, undo request pops up that's getting disallowed.  Wishing well undos are disallowed on general principle. 

Oh yeah, here's one.  Sensible treasure play flowcharting.

Play order: Crown, Counterfeit (don't have to sac so this goes first), Platinum, Gold, Silver, other non-Contraband special treasures
If Grand market isn't out: Copper
Stop if Contraband is in hand.  Let player play Contraband or manually play the rest.
Play Bank
Play Fortune

Current derpiness includes Sauna/Silver often playing Coppers before silvers (that's just silly), Fortunes that play earlier than other treasures, etc.  Play all treasures should attempt to do smart things.   Also why doesn't it play Relic.  What, is there a time when I don't want my opponent to have their -1 card token?  These situations seem so rare that autoplaying Relic is the right default. 

Apologies if the code just vomits all treasures in hand into play.  At that point this is not a minor switch.

I'd ask in chat window.  If I see someone say they're new, I'm definitely fine with them taking extra time, and will point out mechanical techniques and explain mechanics. (like play your treasures before Fortune, pay your debts after fortune)

I think this is something Stef should have a list of, but in case he doesn't it's pretty standard.  A list of things that are simple to implement, require a minimum of testing and resources.  A good rule of thumb is 12 hours tops, no more than $250 in external resources (so don't suggest animated cards or an iphone app), nothing complicated (so no getting buttons out of chat, that clearly requires more than a few lines of code being tweaked). 

1.  Initial splash screen with information about what Dominion is.
2.  Link to Rio Grande setup (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxPd1GymxSU) and Rio Grande live play (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b15pTChFg9c) for new player instructions.
3.  Prepare a new player video similar to the above for the client (stretching the criteria, but you can probably pay for one for $250ish)
4.  Pricing on main page.  Include that it's free to play for anyone and free to play with any expansions your friends have.
5.  "Games of the day" with random game logs between high level players featured (maybe expanding to a full blown 'watch them play in client' someday, but outside this scope).
6.  Show attacks that are out on opponent's side of the field (even just card name).  Information currently in mouseover box, so displaying it differently, even if ugly, should not be a hard implement.  Push off dynamic implementation (markers that appear when an attack is active, but don't if it's blocked by something like moat/lighthouse), just get the static info we currently have in a noticeable spot.

So an obvious abuse of every blacklist system is to just blacklist top players you lose to to avoid them.  Should there be a cap on the number of players that can be blacklisted, or will the admins watch for accounts that have blacklisted high level players?

I played a game where I played Disciple on black market.  I gained a card off black market, but then the second BM never got played.  I properly gained a second copy of Black Market, but the game just continued.

Can this be documented somehow?

1) No more log buttons.

2) Tutorial for new players.

3) Duration cards, especially duration attacks, better shown.  MF used to highlight cards purple for Swamp Hag, or dark red for Haunted Woods, these are very good ideas.

I know instant updating is less accurate and more spiky than batch updating, but it's also more satisfying.  Can we just instant update every game and let people's rank spike up and down?

The person who lost is the person who says gg or whatever.  If you won, don't say anything until they do.

If you have to, "Thanks for the games" is appropriate. 

Bonus douche points if you say gg when the game is several turns away from completing.