• Those wishing to contribute to the game by making suggestions (both small and large) should read the following before doing so.

    Bushtarion largely runs completely automatically, and has been designed intentionally to be as self-maintaining as possible, with mechanics and balance considered at a completed point.

    Please do not spend large amounts of time coming up with complex suggestions in the hope that they will be read and possibly implemented in the future, unless you just enjoy the discussion, theory-craft, and such.

    The most likely changes will be rules-changes, specific number-tweaks to units, techs, and similar sorts of changes, and only if a large community consensus is reached as "proof" that a change would, overall, be an improvement, and are more likely to be done in batches, occassionally, not as a regular thing.

Ogluk's crazy suggestions compilation

Ogluk

Official Helper
Community Operator
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
Messages
764
Location
Bracknell
Mmmkay, collection of ideas I've had over the past few months/weeks about non-gameplay changes that could be made to improve the game.

1st.
A new 'Community Manager' for want of a better title, someone to provide a direct liason from the playerbase to Azzer, and from Azzer to the playerbase, whilst also managing the other staff elements (Helpers, Forum Mods and IRC Ops). Other roles could include dealing with multies and other offenses ingame to save Azzer from having to, etc.

2nd.
Audio/Video tutorials on Youtube of basic gameplay elements, by various volunteering helpers/experienced players to provide simple, easy to understand how to guides for the basic gameplay ideas, planting, harvester/gardener management, land purchasing and acre selection, simple attacking (flakking, simple let attacks etc), the basics of AR and the basics of how H/F works (in theory). (Idea somewhat shamelessly stolen from Penguin)

3rd.
Dunno if this one would be possible, probably would be though at least in theory, a Facebook portal to the game, so you can play through Facebook, fairly straightforward I'd guess.

4th.
Kinda follows on from the Facebook idea, a Lite version of the game for phone access, make it easier for anyone to get online via a phone (even though I personally don't like the idea of being able to login anywhere anytime, the phone gaming market is getting larger all the time and making the game more accessible to it can't be a bad thing for playerbase size). Basics of this would be a removal of custom colour schemes, removal of some of the unnecessary for gameplay pages like Statistics, World Tables, Combat Stats etc. (Lafin was working on something along these lines a while back)

5th.
An Advertising campaign, via Facebook and potentially Google AdWords if feasible.

6th.
A Twitter feed, managed by Azzer and any other future Admin staff or Community Managers, allowing quick and easy communication with the Admin staff.

Opinions, constructive criticisms, and other ideas are welcome. :)
 

atsanjose

Landscape Designer
Super Moderator
Joined
Dec 15, 2007
Messages
1,659
Location
Netherlands, Brabant
1. agreed, but cant think of anyone is suit for such job.
2. noone is keeping you from making those, just make them, past the links to azzer and ask if he can put them into the manual.
3. I heard its the future. i wonder if facebook asks money for it?
4. i support this
5. ok
6. twitter is hell, and its users demons. but ok
 

Dax

Hydroponics Developer
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
3,126
Location
Northants, UK
If this gets implicated, then all for it. It's actually getting a response from the people that count, I'm doubtful of.
 

Twigley

Hydroponics Developer
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
2,694
Location
UK
Ive said numerous times that playing on the phone/facebook apps is the way to go.
This game would go perfectly with that and theres a real market for it.

Having a "Free App" which is just a portal to the site would be so easy to code and cost nothing(?) but a bit of time.



I also think some things in the game need to be simplified if you go down that route though. The buying of seeds and plants for land should be removed as its hard to get that **** done on a phone and is complicated at first to get your head around.
 

No-Dachi

Official Helper
Joined
Dec 15, 2007
Messages
975
Location
Oslo, Norway
If you remove the planting/growing part from the mobile version you'd have to do the same for the normal version. This would be a great loss, I think. I like the fact that you got a way to spot and hide activity. That a person who's being called online for a sendout/defence cannot instantly buy units with the seeds collected during his absence.
 

Dimitar

Landscape Designer
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
2,388
What Twigley meant (I think) is the removal of filling your acres. I disagree with that though, since it's what makes round start fun and a lot of people enjoy the start more than the rest of the round
 

Max

Garden Designer
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
1,015
Location
London
Good suggestions Ogluk. As it has been suggested in the past (by Twigley I think) Bushtarion as a game is perfect for the platform of casual background gaming, rather than the intensive immersion required for games like COD, so it lends itself to the mobile / tablet market.

Business strategy should naturally seek to move in that direction, but also naturally it depends on the ambition / desire of the businessman in question!
 

tobapopalos

Hydroponics Developer
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
2,759
Location
Manchester
Good suggestions Ogluk. As it has been suggested in the past (by Twigley I think) Bushtarion as a game is perfect for the platform of casual background gaming, rather than the intensive immersion required for games like COD, so it lends itself to the mobile / tablet market.

Business strategy should naturally seek to move in that direction, but also naturally it depends on the ambition / desire of the businessman in question!

I also think that with the extra player injection from those platforms, a lot of the contactability/activity problems go away. There will be so many more players playing semi-actively on their phones or on facebook that you won't have to be as active to still have fun. At the moment there are so few players that you have to be active and contactable to have any chance of surviving for more than a couple of days before getting beat down. More players = less concentrated attacking. And obviously that is frustrating for attackers as well because the only targets you'll have are contactable. Sure, the top players can continue playing as if their lives depended on it if they wish (I've been as guilty as anyone on this so please don't think I'm judging), but I think it will make the game far more tolerable for the kind of players who just want to have a bit of fun without the game infringing on their lives.
 

No-Dachi

Official Helper
Joined
Dec 15, 2007
Messages
975
Location
Oslo, Norway
I also think that with the extra player injection from those platforms, a lot of the contactability/activity problems go away. There will be so many more players playing semi-actively on their phones or on facebook that you won't have to be as active to still have fun. At the moment there are so few players that you have to be active and contactable to have any chance of surviving for more than a couple of days before getting beat down. More players = less concentrated attacking. And obviously that is frustrating for attackers as well because the only targets you'll have are contactable. Sure, the top players can continue playing as if their lives depended on it if they wish (I've been as guilty as anyone on this so please don't think I'm judging), but I think it will make the game far more tolerable for the kind of players who just want to have a bit of fun without the game infringing on their lives.

Spot on. My thoughts exactly.
 

Dark_Angel

Landscape Designer
Super Moderator
Community Operator
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Messages
1,978
Location
UK
Full backing on all fronts. Facebook integration would be ideal, but I can't see it happening without Azzer employing someone to code it.
 

Yang

Harvester
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
130
Yet more good suggestions which Azzer probably won't implement :/
 
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