feedback, Dominion Offline & free subscriptions for old MF users

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bloboblob

Hello, username is bloboblob.

1. An offline client, allowing you to play campaigns against bots
I appreciated the campaign of the original version as I got to explore different cards and see how the bots were coded for particular sets.

2. A bot with a setting for different play styles
Sounds neat but I mostly play online so I probably wouldn't use much.

3. A strong bot.
See above.

4. Options for timed games
Eh, I don't think timing needs to be messed with too much.

5. Options for undo settings
I think undo is in a fine state right now. Don't know what kind of settings need to be had. Maybe a small feature that removes undoing if you saw any cards from your deck.

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

7. Option to invite specific players to your table
Would be very useful.

8. More translations (to what language?)
I only speak English, not relevant for me.

9. Better animations when cards are gained/bought/played/...
Meh, doesn't matter to me.

10. Better visualization of split piles, Archive/Crypt contents, Prince targets, ...
This would be fantastic. I hate having to google a split pile just to know its contents. That's the kind of thing I should be able to figure out in game.

10. Option to hide the log
I like the log but I don't this option should be too hard to implement so you might as well go for it.

11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?)
12. iPhone app (or just improved compatibility?)
While I would enjoy an app to play this game, it would have to be done very well. An unpolished mobile app is a pain to play with. It would take a high quality app to get me to play on mobile.

13. Downloadable game logs
YES. And match history. It's hard to learn when you can't really go back through your mistakes.

14. Improved moderation (dealing with chat abuse, slowplayers, ...)
I have not seen noticed any chat abuse or extremely slow players in game so this does not feel needed.

15. Tutorial on how to play Dominion
While this may be a valuable feature, this is not needed for me (and I would assume most of the people responding here.)

16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online.
See above.

roypl

Hi, My nick in dominion.games is roypl (I am ex MF user who bought all possible subscription from MF) If I can still get this subscription bonus it would be perfect ! THX !
my answers, as follows:

Here are some features we have on our wishlist; please let me know if you would appreciate/use them:
1. An offline client, allowing you to play campaigns against bots
  would be nice - especially for kids

2. A bot with a setting for different play styles
  Not important.

3. A strong bot.
important to have possibility to chose (rookie/advance/skilled etc).

4. Options for timed games.
would be ok.

5. Options for undo settings
this option should be possible to set on a beggining with counter i.e. "me and opposite player is able to undo 3/5/7/9 times during a game"

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

7. Option to invite specific players to your table
This would be nice

8. More translations (to what language?)
I would like a translation to polish but it is not really relevant

9. Better animations when cards are gained/bought/played/...
not needed

10. Better visualization of split piles, Archive/Crypt contents, Prince targets, ...
Here is some space for improvement -

10. Option to hide the log
Nice

11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?)
very important - I would like to play on android app

12. iPhone app (or just improved compatibility?)
I dont care.

13. Downloadable game logs
not necessary

14. Improved moderation (dealing with chat abuse, slowplayers, ...)
not needed

15. Tutorial on how to play Dominion
not needed

16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online.
not needed

andwilk

Username: andwilk

Wanted to provide feedback per your request, even if I don't get the credit for the free 6-month extension due to it being past 10 days... but am hopeful I can still get it :)



1. An offline client, allowing you to play campaigns against bots.     
I prefer online play against real people.  However, if this makes it to a phone app, I can see myself using it from time to time.

2. A bot with a setting for different play styles
A bot with difficulty settings for offline play is almost necessary.  When you mention play styles... do you mean Big Money vs. engine-builder?  Interesting, but not necessary.

3. A strong bot.
Absolutely.  You only learn against strong opponents.

4. Options for timed games
Games vary so much depending on the board, I don't see how this would work unless you are talking about varying the timer to force resign.

5. Options for undo settings
Yes, some people abuse the undo so a variable undo option for "not allowed", "once per game", or "upon request" would work.

6. Online mini-tournaments; the option to easily create one for you & your friends.
I like the tournament option.  Maybe even give out badges or awards people can display for winning or placing in a tournament.

7. Option to invite specific players to your table
Yes!

8. More translations (to what language?)
As an English-only speaker, this is not on my priority list.

9. Better animations when cards are gained/bought/played/...
I'm fine with simple presentation as long as the mechanics of the game and interface works well.

10. Better visualization of split piles, Archive/Crypt contents, Prince targets, ...
Yes, this is lacking at the moment.

10. Option to hide the log
I like the log so not necessary for me.

11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?)
iphone user here...

12. iPhone app (or just improved compatibility?)
Absolutely yes!  This is probably #1 on my wishlist.  I do a lot of my gaming via my iPhone so the ability to play online Dominion seamlessly on my iPhone would be a huge benefit for me.

13. Downloadable game logs
Meh... just the ability to see them at the end of the game is fine.

14. Improved moderation (dealing with chat abuse, slowplayers, ...)
Not a big issue from my standpoint.  That's why we have the option to block players!

15. Tutorial on how to play Dominion
Would be beneficial for new players but not a priority for me.

16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online.
Again, would be beneficial for new players but not a priority for me.

yed


Picon

Thank you very much for the offer, Stef. My username is Picon. I had bought all expansions in MF, up to Guilds (and, FWIW, I supported Shuffle iT by extending last year my subscription to Gold subscription). I just logged in after a whole month of absence, as a very important event in my life had to keep me away from gaming. I know that I have technically missed the 10-day deadline by a few days, but I will still provide the feedback. I would greatly appreciate your offer, albeit I acknowledge that I'm posting past the deadline.

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

That is the highest-priority for me. All other features add functionality or make the user interface more friendly. Campaigns add a whole new experience. And the bots can be tailored-programmed on the specific scenarios, so questions #2 and #3 are independent from this one.

2. A bot with a setting for different play styles

Like the "Banker Bot", etc, from the MakingFun? Not that important to me. I would never bother with "I want to play a game with random cards against a big money bot". Sure, it adds replay value, but Dominion has an inherit replayability: the kingdom cards. Having access expansions (through subscriptions or just through other tables) means I won't see any difference with different bots.

I would appreciate multiple bots if I were playing just with the base cards. But I'm not.

3. A strong bot.

That's what bothers me, indeed, the absence of a strong bot. This would be a high priority for me, as I find bot games rather dull. MakingFun had eventually some pretty good bots; sure, nothing like the human players, but they provided some challenge. There is no such challenge here, as the bots are easy and predictable (hello Counterfeit). I would really appreciate a strong bot.

4. Options for timed games

Indifferent. I have currently no use for them, as I do not participate in tournaments.

5. Options for undo settings

I find the current undo implementation quite good and adequate. Probably a button/option that provides the "/undo".

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

I mainly play 2-player games with friends. Online mini-tournaments would encourage me to play with different people, thus it would be a good thing for me, but not high-priority.

7. Option to invite specific players to your table

Yes, high priority. I usually play 2-player Dominion with friends (thus, the reason I buy subscriptions, as someone has to) and it's irritating not to be able to invite people and utilize workarounds, such as adding bots.

8. More translations (to what language?)

Not necessary in my opinion, as Dominion has not even been translated or has been partially translated in different languages, but still remains widely popular. For example, only the base game Dominion (1st ed) has been translated in Greek; no expansion has ever been translated; nevertheless, it is popular in Greece. I do not think it's worth to spend cycles in translating the game to multiple languages.

However, if it came down to adding new languages, I would suggest to stick with the most popular ones, like Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

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

That is necessary, as I continue not to be able to follow what actions have been taken without looking at the log. One good feature of MakingFun was the card animations; it was crystal clear what was going on without looking at the log. An option to speed up the animations or turn them off would be important to have, of course.

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

Medium-priority I would say. Archive/Crypt contents are quite important, indeed, Prince targets not that important (maybe gray-out a bit the non-valid targets?).

10b. Option to hide the log

Not a must-have for me, as I like playing with the log on. Maybe auto-hide it when playing from a smartphone (also see question #11 for that).

11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?)

I cannot play from my smartphone browser, as it's not very user-friendly. However, I seldom play from my smartphone, I am a PC user. Thus, I would not favor an app (or increased compatibility) over other features, such as a campaign. Low-priority issue for me. However, if you would like to offer improved compatibility, I would recommend to take a look at BGA, where smartphone compatibility has been seamlessly integrated.

12. iPhone app (or just improved compatibility?)

I do not own an iPhone. Refer to my Android answer.

13. Downloadable game logs

Good thing, I would want it, as I have the need from time to time to search or refer to specific games. The MakingFun-era logs were great, as one could search the log of any game through a 3rd party site.

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

It would make no difference to me, as I play almost exclusively with friends. Still, I feel that the "block" is adequate for the time being, as the community self-regulates itself.

15. Tutorial on how to play Dominion

There is a plethora of videos demonstrating how to play. A few URLs could be provided.

16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online.

When I first logged in, I was a big puzzled, coming from MakingFun. But, I find the User Interface very intuitive and I deem that a tutorial is not mandatory. However, if you do make one, I think that choosing cards from your hand and confirming the action (such as discarding to Militia) was the most complex action for me.

jimbo3

Hi Stef,  Thanks! 

username is Jimbo3.

guidelines

1.  Thank you for making the current client.  Its great!!  An Offline version would be greatly appreciated. 
2.  I like the offline version for the purpose of  practice.  to test strategies of your own, and to be able to undo, and practice, playing correctly and optimally.
3.  Im very happy with the client as is, and there is nothing major i would need.  My favorite feature is auto buy, and everything else auto was just a bonus.  Also noctrune expansion is important to me because it helps you build engines faster.  (but if its not included thats fine)

Features we have on our wishlist;

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

YES please, i would use this.  this is the only feature i really want out of all of these.


(below are nice to have but not necessary)
2. A bot with a setting for different play styles-  not necessary
3. A strong bot.-  current bot vs big money strat is good enough for now.
4. Options for timed games -  no
5. Options for undo settings - yes,  to allow people to play against other people who allow undo vs no undos allowed at all for any reason. 
6. Online mini-tournaments; the option to easily create one for you & your friends. yes a way to message friends to play without interrupting current game. 
7. Option to invite specific players to your table- not necessary
8. More translations (to what language?)  not necessary
9. Better animations when cards are gained/bought/played/... No,  its fine the way it is.
10. Better visualization of split piles, Archive/Crypt contents, Prince targets, ... Only visualization is for if something is trashed, the old version you could see it being trashed.
10. Option to hide the log - no i like it.
11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?) no
12. iPhone app (or just improved compatibility?) no,  you can play on iphone already with browser.
13. Downloadable game logs - maybe, but lauxnet allows you to track so that is nice. 
14. Improved moderation (dealing with chat abuse, slowplayers, ...)  maybe? 
15. Tutorial on how to play Dominion-  no,  you could youtube that?
16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online. - no thanks,  i think most people i play with is in real life and they learn with cards first and transition to online so they already know how to play.  just my experience. 

Varys40

Hi!

My username is Varys40

I would greatly appreciate an offline client.  This would probably be my most used feature if it was present.  I would also consider subscribing because of this.  As it is, I only play with my friend from out of town, and as it is, he and I are not free often enough to pay for a subscription.

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

1. An offline client, allowing you to play campaigns against bots - yes!
2. A bot with a setting for different play styles - would be nice to have different styles
3. A strong bot. - yes, but the bots now are ok
4. Options for timed games - no
5. Options for undo settings - I am not sure what settings you are considering beyond the current undo
6. Online mini-tournaments; the option to easily create one for you & your friends. - no
7. Option to invite specific players to your table - yes
8. More translations (to what language?) - no
9. Better animations when cards are gained/bought/played/... - not at the expense of performance
10. Better visualization of split piles, Archive/Crypt contents, Prince targets, ...  - not necessary
10. Option to hide the log - it would be nice
11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?) - yes!
12. iPhone app (or just improved compatibility?) - yes!  I would not play offline nearly enough without having an app
13. Downloadable game logs - no
14. Improved moderation (dealing with chat abuse, slowplayers, ...) - no
15. Tutorial on how to play Dominion - no
16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online. - no

marangog

Hi
1. An offline client, allowing you to play campaigns against bots
This is the very thing I need. I am a slow player and don't enjoy the cut and thrust of online play
2. A bot with a setting for different play styles
Yes that would be great
 
4. Options for timed games
Not for me. I dislike racing against time
5. Options for undo settings
Certainly. Too often have I clicked the wrong thing by mistake.
6. Online mini-tournaments; the option to easily create one for you & your friends.
Not for me.

11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?)
Definitely. I'd love to have it on my phone.

16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online.
That might be interesting. Maybe I'm playing it the wrong way which is why I don't enjoy it online.