Things to patch

[Commander Bello]

Well, the game clearly has been rushed. Therefore, I would like to give some indications where a patch could be useful.

1) You may get a message: "The enemy has been spotted near [insert city name]" - it would be very helpful if you could click on that message and then center the screen over the city in question

2) There are some areas where you might want to scroll with the mouse, but you just can't. Several descriptions from the Civilopedia come to mind.

3) It would be very useful if the tech tree would have a "auto-scrolling" feature as has the map. In other words, why do I have to move the scrollbar at the bottom, why doesn't the tech tree scroll if I move the mouse to the left or right border?

4) Tech tree again. Sometimes researching a tech may allow you to research the successor tech, sometimes it doesn't since other requirements are missing. It would be helpful if the arrows would become different in colour in case you could already research that successor tech. This would be especially helpful in case of this next tech being somewhere far to the right.

5) Tech tree once more. Why do we have to click on a tech to see how many turns it will last to get it? This could be indicated at the headline of that tech, as it does AFTER you have selected it.

6) A little readjustment of the Civilopedia button might be helpful, as you may not point accurately to it with your mouse and then you just scroll the screen. This is annoying and unnecessary.

To be continued....

 

[Rik Meleet]

Moderator Action: Moved to Civ4 - Ideas & Suggestions

 

[Commander Bello]

Well, I was thinking about if it would fit into this section, but since it was announced to be closed soon, I've put it in the general discussion area - where it might fit better, but anyway....

 

[KrikkitTwo]

7) Ability to center on a unit from the Military Adviser

 

[MeteorPunch]

3) It would be very useful if the tech tree would have a "auto-scrolling" feature as has the map. In other words, why do I have to move the scrollbar at the bottom, why doesn't the tech tree scroll if I move the mouse to the left or right border?

Yeah, after moving the map this way, it would feel natural that the tech tree moves as well. You can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to move it, which is almost as good.

My "wishlist":

A. Redo the Civilopedia Interface. Cross-reference the Civilopedia entries with the Tech Tree.

B. Redo the City Screen Interface.

C. Redo Icons with higher quality ones that include Text names. I'm sure someone will mod this...

 

[Commander Bello]

7) Ability to center on a unit from the Military Adviser

You can.
You got to the Military Advisor, click on the units you are interested in (e.g. Bowmen) and see some blinking square on the left. You click on one of them and ... voilá

 

[Commander Bello]

Yeah, after moving the map this way, it would feel natural that the tech tree moves as well. You can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to move it, which is almost as good.[...]

Oh, right.
Haven't noticed this until you put my attention to it

 

[HounddogLGS]

Here's a glitch for you:

I started a game where for each city I built a worker and automated him to improve that city. I set a couple more to build roads. I was curious on how good the automation is on this, and I'm still trying to get used to the new resource dynamic.

Anyways, several turns go by, and I notice 3 workers have parked their butts in my capitol and were doing nothing! What the heck is up with this?

Also, a contributing factor to my not noticing this problem sooner is that AI units and automated usnits move so fast you can hardly keep up with them, and I don't hav the fast piece slide turned on.

 

[Commander Bello]

@HounddogLGS:
this might be due to the fact that roads only have an effect if they establish a new trade route. So, maybe for the 3 workers in your capital there was either no new route possible, or they would have been to long on the march.
Could you check this?

 

[Commander Bello]

8) From the Advisor of the Interior (F1), you cannot switch immediately to the city in question. You have to leave the screen and look for that city manually.

 

[Matches10]

Along those lines, "Find City" functionality would be lovely. I didn't see one among the screens or manual.

 

[HounddogLGS]

@HounddogLGS:
this might be due to the fact that roads only have an effect if they establish a new trade route. So, maybe for the 3 workers in your capital there was either no new route possible, or they would have been to long on the march.
Could you check this?

Seeng it happen more- Every time they fiinish a task they just park in a city. Wish the would just que up for new orders, like in civ3, rather than take a siesta. Anyways, thats something to be on the lookout for if you're automating workers.

 

[nomikos]

I'd like to see the following patched:

P1) build queue lists should not strip out buildings! Likewise bug with build lists playing as India. see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=133674

P2) Rally points - user err. Post I read said ctl_right click, instead it's shift-right_click. Would like to change this to "fully documented list of key commands".

P3) when saving, focus should be on filename (and return) should save

P4) option menus descriptions not linked / working. see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134437

P5) the science adviser screen does not exit (unlike other adviser screens) via esc, return, or other F-keys

P6) Civilopedia needs work. see various threads


And a few Wish list items: (again, in order)

W1) AI worker options box. I hate how automated workers strip all the forests! Perhaps only de-forest to get a "resource"? Someone also posted a suggestion about "cottage" type structures to reforest. (lost the thread. sorry. I'll try to find it when search is re-enabled).

W2) on domestic adviser screen, add # turns until build is complete.

W3) show *turns* left until border expansion via culture in city "mouse over" window

W4) if "can't trade tech" selected at startup, still list techs on "technologies screen" - perhaps in red. see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=133667

W5) filter resource layer (ctl-r) by single resource "item" (not type). perhaps by selecting resource "label/tag" from world map

W6) include "unexplored" villages/goodie huts on resource layer (ctl-r)

W7) remember last custom world settings

W8) option for not goodie huts / villages at startup

W9) sentry (not sleep) option for workers. no reason they can't "wake up" when they see bad mr catapult coming.

W10) hotkey / icon to provide strategy level / drawing & label menu while zoomed in.

W11) log filters or color codes for game log (ingame) to separate religious / great person / combat / etc events

W12) option to not show "build" notifications if another item is already queued not the "what to build" pop-ups - just the "white" upper-left screen notifications )

W13) expanded or selectable radius for "suggested cities" when selecting a settler (if a .ini pref those who don't like it could set it to 0, those who do want it could set it to X arbitrary #)

W14) implement some way to abandon cities (or option not to take a city if from a culture flip). see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=133648

W15) implement some way to re-grow forests that the pesky automate workers have removed. see

In conclusion, I LOVE the game (one giant step forward for the civ franchise, many sleepless nights for me), but there is definitely some room for improvement.

Thanks!

 

[Crayton]

Instead of Razing a city can you just 'release it?'
I don't want to wipe it away but it is SO out-of-the-way.

 

[nomikos]

Crayton,
You can gift the city to another player. See also http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134455

There is also a new CIV FAQ (sticky) thread at http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134903 for questions.

 

[Mat777]

well , i bet you guys loose your time because im sure they wont do much with patches .


They will work on the expansion instead and make you pay for those feature .

 

[MeteorPunch]

D. Abandon City. thread

 

[doggiedaddy]

Well, the game clearly has been rushed. Therefore, I would like to give some indications where a patch could be useful.

1) You may get a message: "The enemy has been spotted near [insert city name]" - it would be very helpful if you could click on that message and then center the screen over the city in question


To be continued....

What is the matter with the system they have now? When you get the message there should be a circle with an arrow pointing to the area where the enemy is. If you click on the circle it will take you there.

 

[nomikos]

1) You may get a message: "The enemy has been spotted near [insert city name]" - it would be very helpful if you could click on that message and then center the screen over the city in question

In addition to the enemy sighted "bubble" doggiedaddy mentions, you use also use either the military adviser (filtered to enemy units), or zoom out and use the units layer (filtered to enemy units) to find any incursions.

In my games finding an enemy unit it's only an issue when an enemy unit both enters and leaves my vision during the (computer's) same turn.

And if you haven't tried using the military (or the strategy/culture/trade/resource/religion overlays, see my post in thread http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=134903 )

 

[oldStatesman]

2) There are some areas where you might want to scroll with the mouse, but you just can't. Several descriptions from the Civilopedia come to mind.

Agreed.

4) Tech tree again. Sometimes researching a tech may allow you to research the successor tech, sometimes it doesn't since other requirements are missing. It would be helpful if the arrows would become different in colour in case you could already research that successor tech. This would be especially helpful in case of this next tech being somewhere far to the right.

Agreed

5) Tech tree once more. Why do we have to click on a tech to see how many turns it will last to get it? This could be indicated at the headline of that tech, as it does AFTER you have selected it.

Agreed

W9) sentry (not sleep) option for workers. no reason they can't "wake up" when they see bad mr catapult coming.

I like this suggestion.

W14) implement some way to abandon cities (or option not to take a city if from a culture flip). see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=133648

Very much agree. Abandon city option needs to be there.

Some of my wishes:

1)Option to preserve/not preserve random seed. I understand why this is not there for GOTM/MP reasons - but for those of us who want to play SP I see no reason to take this popular option away.

2)I'll echo again the sub-par implemetation of the Civilipedia. Again, I can understand why this may have been rushed, but it is a shame one of the trademark features of the franchise that sets it apart from other games is so unpolished.

3)The blue circles that suggest where a worker should go to are often outside the city borders - i.e. they point to tiles where improvements will not be a benefit.

4)Related - often the Blue circle that recommends where a settler found a city is not really the best place. Example, it recommends building one tile away from the coast, or one tile away from fresh water at times.

5) Virtually non-existant right click menu. Graphic rollovers are nice...but the absence of a true right click menu slows the game down, at least for users like me who rely extensively on the right click menu in our day to day usage.

6)Fully Adjustable camera angles - I would like to zoom out and be able to adjust the top down angle as well as the 45 deg rotation. I.e Civ2 and Civ3 style zoom angles, besides the classic Civ1 Top down view.

Overrall a good effort on the gameplyy - lest it seem I am knocking Civ4 I am not. It is a creative and innovative design - a lot of hard work went into it. I'm just trying to offer some constructive opinions. The fact that I have not mentioned any of the many many many positive things is because this thread is about suggestions for improvement.

On a Personal note, I am having a hard time finding the 'spark' in this game. It is just not the same as C3C for me - that game I installed and could not stop until my eyes were red and watering 16 hours later. (I had played Civ2 and had the same initial experience, but then I found C3C and fell in love with that game.) This one I found it easy to stop after a few hours, and have not really had the same compulsion to play it at every free moment. It is a good game; and I am not saying others will not have this feeling, or saying not to buy it - (though I may recommend that people may want to wait a week or so for the patch at this point); this is just how it is for me. I am actually enjoying trying to figure out how to mod the game, i.e. learn XML, Python, etc. more than playing the game. This is the exact opposite of my previous Civ experience - I could not be bothered to learn how to mod.

Perhaps when some of the minor bugs and glitches are worked out, I will get that feeling again; but for now, I don't have it.