Sprint #5 2/15 to 3/1

[gadu]

Making the SS flow from left to right is how it SHOULD be. Having it the opposite way is just confusing and stupid for new players. It should flow the same way you order it in the file editing page. Consistency is important. I remember when i first started how confused i was at the reversing of the order. It was sloppy that it was never mentioned anywhere. I've even played new people who have made the same mistake. Good catch MM.

I would prefer if the 1st SS was on the top left part of the screen, the 2nd SS was by the cemetary pile, the 3rd in the middle of the game board, the 4th under the "set card" slot, and the last SS next to my avatar.

[Aoi]

That could work, would be a nice visual effect.

[ForgotPassNotWorking]

Making the SS flow from left to right is how it SHOULD be. Having it the opposite way is just confusing and stupid for new players. It should flow the same way you order it in the file editing page. Consistency is important. I remember when i first started how confused i was at the reversing of the order. It was sloppy that it was never mentioned anywhere. I've even played new people who have made the same mistake. Good catch MM.

I would prefer if the 1st SS was on the top left part of the screen, the 2nd SS was by the cemetary pile, the 3rd in the middle of the game board, the 4th under the "set card" slot, and the last SS next to my avatar.

I am glad gadu expressed this issue far better than me.

[MysteryMan]

Deliverables come Sunday:
Web Team: Show progress in new user website
Dev Team: Put chat online. Fix underdog.
Balance Team: Errata (already published)

Mid term goals (subject to change)
Feb:
Achievement Engine, Chat, First Round new user site
March:
Cross platform file editor, integrate chat to Unity (yes, replacing the chat client already), leave Azure, improve achievement engine for new game types, apply to masschallenge, second round of tutorials, auction house
April:
Battle engine UI live (no functionality), begin integrating the tutorial into the new ui, make new achivments, improve achievement engine ui, kickstater, agree on new game type, kickstater
May:
Full battle engine, massive advertising push, player driven story battles

We've got a few surprises planned that I didn't mention .

Next sprint will be one week long instead of two weeks long because we need some proof of concepts made on top of normal things to determine the code-wise direction. Everything will be approved and posted tomorrow night but here's a preview of what was already approved. Each team will have their own thread to keep things clean.

Alex will be doing R&D on SignlaR and Unity3d compiled to flash, cross platform. Basically he's proving that our new engine will work everywhere, be faster, look better, and not have the disconnect issues the current one does.

Igor and I will be working on the back end to allow the file editor. This includes something new - cards.apphb.com/CardName will show the details of a card so you don't have to go about searching as much.

The sprint afterwards will focus on making the file editor work on every platform out there and take a lot less time to load.

[angelspawns]

The new layout looks amazing! The 3D perspective is a refreshing take on Alteil and with visual effects it can only get better. (animations when: cards move from/on board, info screens, card actions and the like)
From a players perspective the first thing i liked was the SP count of both players TOGETHER centre/bottom of the screen. Players will catch on quicker to the importance and how certain actions are influencing this SP flow.

I know how hard it can be to utilize the given space and fit all elements in. Throwing things around and adjusting inches to make things more visually appealing... So i'm not saying that everything will be possible, but i do like to suggest the following points of attention for its functionality;

- The game is easier to learn if it flows step by step into 1 direction. Taking the most logical order quickens ones understanding of the gameplay.
From left to right a card follows the route: Cardpile->PlayedCard(left) -> Board(center) -> Cemetery->OutOfGame(right). Try to put most(virtually impossible to do, i know) of the relevant elements to that corresponding part of the board. So if you follow the card into the cemetery you'll also see the LP decrease with the SoulCard triggering there, instead of having things activate all over the screen.

- Some Elements are closely related and better not seperated:
* LifePoint counter+SoulCards+Avatar. They make up your LP, and in Alteil the Avatar is the icon for the very last LP triggering. I wish there was another indication of that extra 1LP so there's more freedom to its placement. But as it stands now it'll feel quite weird leaving 1LP hanging after all soulcards.
* Avatar & Assistant. (&Chatbox/"balloon"? Visualizing it's your avatar speaking)
* SP and Spherelevels.


This is all easily said but an immense effort to accomplish. Space will not always allow it and placement may turn into a visual horror that way. I tried to move some elements around on my own (hope you don't mind GGG!) With alot of puzzling i found some sort of order for most elements, but not without raising questionmarks. For one i don't even see a chatbox in current design? Won't it be incorporated in the game's design as permanent feature that never leaves the screen? Or is it a tab you can slide from the side. I also lack elements like the assistant for instance. Some things popup without needing negative space like current card selection, but what about reserving some negative space for popups like skillinfo or cards in cemetery? (like when you click cemetery pile, a box could slide up covering the cemetery pile and its negative space) I was spending way too much time questioning things and nobody to ask them to, so i quit lol.

I wish you all the luck GGG. It's so easy to stare yourself blind on these things and get frustrated. (speaking out of personal experience though) But it's also where the fun lies, like solving a giant puzzle. At some point the pieces will fall together. ;p

[ZeroX1999]

March:
Cross platform file editor, integrate chat to Unity (yes, replacing the chat client already), leave Azure, improve achievement engine for new game types, apply to masschallenge, second round of tutorials, auction house

Wait... it is done? Or it is a concept trying to be implemented?

April:
Battle engine UI live (no functionality), begin integrating the tutorial into the new ui, make new achivments, improve achievement engine ui, kickstater, agree on new game type, kickstater

Are we going to see the kickstarter soon? And how does it work for a game that is already functional? Japan basically kinda owns this game and all kcikstarter would do is raise funds for the development team, but Japan should already have most of the those kinds of updates no?

[GonFreeces31]

Lookin forward to the marketing push cause at this rate you guys are all gonna be unemployed.

[ForgotPassNotWorking]

Lookin forward to the marketing push cause at this rate you guys are all gonna be unemployed.

Ya. I don't see anything that would prove the contrary.

On the other hand look at Zagar how proud he can stand penniless and nude!

[GonFreeces31]

Well I mean the current system is pretty much unsustainable. This game is mostly veterans who seem to be slowly leaving. If Alteil is going to make it they pretty much need a huge wave of new players. With some of the infrastructure upgrades it might be possible to retain new players especially if they all hit crest at the same time. I mean I hope it goes well but it's pretty clear that unless they can attract and retain new players this game will go under.

[Callonia]

Mysteryman!

Duel 20 total times for an extra prize - The Shrine Knight Zero Avatar, not available in the shop!

Fix avatar manager plz.

My avatar still broken and its been months and months and months!