Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Reintroduce the compass to the UI for Alpha 2 please. It's an accessibility issue.
Nerror
Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
If you check this dev stream from Dec. 2018 a few minutes in, you can see what I am talking about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRETPXuUEJs
It doesn't have to look exactly like that or anything, all I care about is having the functionality. It's super convenient, and I loved having it in all the other games that use this style of compass. Elder scrolls games come to mind.
It wasn't present in any of the A1 builds, and I missed it on several occasions.
What quickly became apparent in Alpha 1, especially during sieges, was that a lot of players are really struggling with the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west). People kept using left and right because they simply could not deal with east and west, which led to a lot of confusion obviously. It even got to a point where instead of just using the cardinal directions, people were defining "left" and "right" before the siege by saying things like "Ok so Left is left when we look at the castle from the outside and in" and stuff like that. Even with that, people got things confused (obviously).
With a compass like the above, all you need to do is look in the direction, and you have it right there on the screen where the enemy is coming from or where the group should be going. It makes communication smoother and causes less frustration for all involved.
Should the developers care about this? Some try-hard people might just say "git gud". I obviously disagree with the latter and think that YES, the game developers should definitely give the players tools to improve communication in group content, and even the playing field a little.
I see it as no different to people who are colorblind or have other accessibility issues. Some people's brains just aren't wired right for having a good sense of direction. It's a potentially hereditary neurological condition, known as developmental topographical disorientation (DTD), that causes people to be unable to hold maps or directions in their minds, and it ranges from being easily confused when out on a walk or drive, to getting lost in their own homes.
As with all UI things, it should be able to be moved, resized, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRETPXuUEJsIt doesn't have to look exactly like that or anything, all I care about is having the functionality. It's super convenient, and I loved having it in all the other games that use this style of compass. Elder scrolls games come to mind.
It wasn't present in any of the A1 builds, and I missed it on several occasions.
What quickly became apparent in Alpha 1, especially during sieges, was that a lot of players are really struggling with the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west). People kept using left and right because they simply could not deal with east and west, which led to a lot of confusion obviously. It even got to a point where instead of just using the cardinal directions, people were defining "left" and "right" before the siege by saying things like "Ok so Left is left when we look at the castle from the outside and in" and stuff like that. Even with that, people got things confused (obviously).
With a compass like the above, all you need to do is look in the direction, and you have it right there on the screen where the enemy is coming from or where the group should be going. It makes communication smoother and causes less frustration for all involved.
Should the developers care about this? Some try-hard people might just say "git gud". I obviously disagree with the latter and think that YES, the game developers should definitely give the players tools to improve communication in group content, and even the playing field a little.
I see it as no different to people who are colorblind or have other accessibility issues. Some people's brains just aren't wired right for having a good sense of direction. It's a potentially hereditary neurological condition, known as developmental topographical disorientation (DTD), that causes people to be unable to hold maps or directions in their minds, and it ranges from being easily confused when out on a walk or drive, to getting lost in their own homes.
As with all UI things, it should be able to be moved, resized, etc.
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Comments
Just make it optional, so you can turn it on or off to your liking.
I hope the Ashes devs can come up with something as cool for the final UI.
Some form of minimal navigation tool is needed, but doesn't necessarily have to be a mini-map.
I didn't like what they had in Alpha, but, there's still plenty of time to play with UI design.