Ara: History Untold

[Sherlock]

The game looks really good. But one thing that worries me is the crafting system. Someone counted almost 100 items that can be crafted, and inventory management from halfway through the game can become tiresome. I'm afraid that this excessive focus on crafting could lead to too much micromanagement and distract from the game itself.

I've avoided 'No Man's Sky' for years because I hear it's full of crafting. Crafting blows.

 

[KayAU]

I've avoided 'No Man's Sky' for years because I hear it's full of crafting. Crafting blows.

As tacked-on mechanic, I agree. But I feel I should point out that what is being referred to as "crafting" in Ara is more akin to production chains in classical city builders, than it is to going into your inventory and putting 5 sticks together to make a ladder in your average island survival multiplayer game on Steam.

 

[ZDY]

Does anyone know if there is any footage showing that the devs hit the end turn button and wait to get into the next turn during the ACT 3? Altough I've watched every dev, Q&A, and Encarta videos, and the Gamescom live, I can't recall any single one.

I'm a bit worried about whether there can be too much data to run and be executed at the same time in the late game. And the players might need to wait a long time until everything is done to get into the next turn. Or the game can get quite laggy at the end turn? Hope not...

 

[Sephi]

The game looks really good. But one thing that worries me is the crafting system. Someone counted almost 100 items that can be crafted, and inventory management from halfway through the game can become tiresome. I'm afraid that this excessive focus on crafting could lead to too much micromanagement and distract from the game itself.

The minecraft generation is now designing 4x games. A bit strange but maybe fun. Ara is like a dark horse for me. Could be a masterpiece or a nightmare.

 

[Amtoj]

The minecraft generation is now designing 4x games. A bit strange but maybe fun. Ara is like a dark horse for me. Could be a masterpiece or a nightmare.

I see it as something more like Victoria 3 where every part of your economy has inputs and outputs. You need to produce food to feed your people, and maybe producing a lot allows your market to export it for some money. Wars increase the demand for guns, allowing you to profit from a crisis on the other side of the world. You want to build a lot of new infrastructure, but your country is lacking steel mines to offer up the raw materials. Maybe your rival monopolized all the stuff you just so happen to need. All this can make for really deep economic gameplay that goes beyond improving a couple tiles and making sure you have enough gold income.

 

[Tonas1997]

Does anyone know if there is any footage showing that the devs hit the end turn button and wait to get into the next turn during the ACT 3? Altough I've watched every dev, Q&A, and Encarta videos, and the Gamescom live, I can't recall any single one.

I'm a bit worried about whether there can be too much data to run and be executed at the same time in the late game. And the players might need to wait a long time until everything is done to get into the next turn. Or the game can get quite laggy at the end turn? Hope not...

There are a few videos on Youtube showing extended gameplay across multiple turns (ex: here and here)

 

[Ashbery76]

I'm a bit worried about whether there can be too much data to run and be executed at the same time in the late game. And the players might need to wait a long time until everything is done to get into the next turn. Or the game can get quite laggy at the end turn? Hope not...

This game has simultaneous turns.The A.I will be processing at the same time you play your turn.It will be faster than Civ6 by some margin.

 

[KayAU]

I understand it as a performance question, and we don't know until we know. I would expect there to be significantly more load on computer resources the bigger the map and the more is going on, but I'm guessing that since giant maps with 36 players have been part of their design specification, they will have planned their software architecture around it. Looking at their other technical accomplishments, I suspect they have some serious software development talent in the team.

 

[ZDY]

There are a few videos on Youtube showing extended gameplay across multiple turns (ex: here and here)

I've watched them before. But none of both were showing the ACT 3. ACT 3 is my concern.

 

[ZDY]

This game has simultaneous turns.The A.I will be processing at the same time you play your turn.It will be faster than Civ6 by some margin.

I'm aware of this. But still a bit concerns me as the amount of data in processing at the same time due to the simul-turn system in the late game.

I understand it as a performance question, and we don't know until we know. I would expect there to be significantly more load on computer resources the bigger the map and the more is going on, but I'm guessing that since giant maps with 36 players have been part of their design specification, they will have planned their software architecture around it. Looking at their other technical accomplishments, I suspect they have some serious software development talent in the team.

Yep, maximum 36 players impresses me. Hope they can make it well.

 

[Filo90]

their nitrous engine has been developed to fully use all the cores of your cpu, it's an engine built exactly for this kind of game....

 

[Ashbery76]

The game turns are instant in those later videos.Of course playing with 36 player map on hugest map will slow it but I still expect it to be much faster than Civ6 on large with 10 players with the nitrous engine.

 

[user343744]

36 AI's right out of the box is so good to hear, mods will likely increase it further. Can't wait to play this when it comes out, I hope they're successful. Civ needs some real competition.

 

[Filo90]

I was thinking about simultaneous turns and warfare and I'm really excited about it.

I realized that the game will basically play out as a slow paced RTS, more than a turn based combat game, as everyone will act at the same time without prior knowledge of the adversaries actions.

I just hope the devs were able to code AIs to play this fairly good.

 

[lt22677]

I was thinking about simultaneous turns and warfare and I'm really excited about it.

I realized that the game will basically play out as a slow paced RTS, more than a turn based combat game, as everyone will act at the same time without prior knowledge of the adversaries actions.

I just hope the devs were able to code AIs to play this fairly good.

Yes, a good AI will be the element that allows us to say whether it is a good title or a failure. By good AI I don't mean an AI at the level of Julius Caesar or Napoleon, but one that at least knows how to do basic things (then obviously over time it will be able improve), but a good foundation is essential

 

[CivLuvah]

Yeah, I don't think it's all that bad, and they have already done a bit of streamlining. For many things, what I end up doing is just setting a crafting building, let's say a bakery, to produce a certain item indefinitely. For example, I can have several bakeries which are just producing bread, which then supply all my cities with that as an amenity. At that point, they don't really require any attention.

I feel like I should be careful both understating and overstating the issue. I suggest looking at more gameplay as it becomes available, and try to make a decision for yourself as to whether you think the crafting would become too much to manage. I personally feel like it mostly falls somewhere between enjoyable and tolerable, but I am still hoping for some improvements to the UI (which may already be there at launch, since they have received the feedback a while ago), and maybe some further streamlining.

I do like the idea of crafting in general. If we take food as an example, say you don't have the most fertile terrain, but you have a bit of coastline, and some fish resources. You can then produce refined products like salted fish, and "import" it as an amenity in your inland cities in order to support them. I love stuff you like that.

I think in this way, players have to strategically consider the kinds of resources they need for recipes for other necessities. If another nation has iron, for example, and I have none in sight, I have to go to war to get what I needed to build up defenses.

I did not know you could jump right from a resource to the production buildings like that. Either I missed it, or that's an UI improvement that was done after the build we got to play. That would indeed save a lot of time. I take this as a good sign.

No, I think it's the UI improvement. I remember in my technical alpha how tedious it was to go from resource to resource and from improvement to improvement to see which produced what. I'm glad they streamlined it.

 

[KayAU]

I think in this way, players have to strategically consider the kinds of resources they need for recipes for other necessities. If another nation has iron, for example, and I have none in sight, I have to go to war to get what I needed to build up defenses.

Or maybe a trade agreement, depending on their disposition.

 

[ggmoyang]

Or maybe a trade agreement, depending on their disposition.

Would you be interested in a trade agreement with England?

 

[KayAU]

Would you be interested in a trade agreement with England?

I knew it was coming.

 

[Tonas1997]

Does anyone here know if vanilla will have "minor" players in the form of city-states or barbarians? I know hostile tribes fill the latter's role, but IIRC they disappear after Act I

EDIT: Also, do trade routes have a physical existence? For instance, can I pillage them?