Feeddback on 0.6.11

[Zukero]

Just a suggestion for the leaderboards signature format. As the game system changed quite a bit, and total AP can evolve, the new AP format should become something like "AP:X/Y" with X the attack cost, and Y the total AP.

Just my 2 cents :p... how about an android app that can parse the save files, and publish the status to a leader board online. That way, no need to put some "online" features in the core AT app, but just add a side app for fans.
While I'm at it, would it be possible to put the different loclizations in a separate android package ? Like have the english game only, and download an extra app for optional translations ? I prefer my games in english, and this partial translation thing is making me sick (although I admire and respect the work of the translators, they bring many new players to AT).

[ctnbeh13]

Zukero,

Concerning the acceptable format for a players signature, this is a matter best addressed by Samuel personally by sending him a P.M., as he has created, been maintaining this forum topic, and provides updates as time allows, or sometimes dictates as there are considerable spikes and lapses in the frequency of regular players at times. Your signature is yours to personalize and customize, but if you want to be recognized, you must conform.

To include code within the game to read your game save data, and upload it to a server for public display (and even in-game), is extra work that doesn't seem to merit it's effort, in my opinion, and would increase the file download size as well as installation size on your device. I bring up the latter point as your reason seems to be of a similar nature regarding the available languages (which for the most part are comprised of text). The most commonly known app add-in that is often used to accomplish the online leader board method of score tracking, or possibly more precisely here, stat tracking, would be OpenFeint. I personally am not a fan of the software add-in for reasons I'd be more than happy to share, but separately from this post. I also don't feel that this is an appropriate option or choice for Andor's Trail. The growing number of titles currently being released with OpenFeint is significantly related to the 100 million dollar fund, from which game developers for the Android platform are paid to include OpenFeint in their game. For more information about this incentive, the two links below will offer slightly more insight:

http://www.gamefront.com/openfeint-payi ... o-android/

http://androidheadlines.com/2011/03/pai ... droid.html

You can download what appears to be an OpenFeint marketing brochure in the .pdf format/file extension, from "The 8th Annual BeAVC Venture Capital Case Competition", who's home page is:

http://beavc.org

The file itself is located at: http://beavc.org/OpenFeint.pdf

On the issue of the other available languages, if you would have a beneficial recommendation regarding optimized installer file packaging, or something more that elaborates on the reference(s) you made to "this partial translation thing", such as a perceived bug, or incomplete translations that you find frustrating, sending a P.M. to Oskar might be best.

I hope this was of some help to you, and considered appropriate to your post. I also would like to welcome you to send me a P.M. to share your thoughts and feelings, or discuss these, and/or other matters in detail. Please don't take any sharing of my opinion or perceived insight as being the final word. We have regular meetings, where predominantly, matters are discussed and agreed upon with a "team" approach.

[Zukero]

ctnbeh13,

Thank you for your insight. As a developper, I think I could share my views on software designs ideas I had, especially for the two points I mentionned (leader boards, and translations). However, I've never touched Android development yet, so my technical insights are somewhat limited.

For the leaderboards thing, I think including it in the main Andor's trail app is a bad idea, as it would require extra authorizations for the app, increase code size, etc... I was more thinking of a completely separate, stand-alone app, that includes parts of the main app's source code to parse the saved game data. I'm not a big fan of the third party online score services either. Maybe it is possible (or even easy ?) to make this app publish the scores directly to the signature of this forum ?

For the translations thing, I just think that the translators make a very good work, but I think (and appreciate) that Oskar and co just don't want to wait for all the translations to be available before releasing an update, so the new quests for 0.6.10 got translated in 0.6.11. My phone is set up in french, and I can see some items/quests/monsters in french, and others in english. I know some apps (like Handcent SMS for example), just provide the english language, and suggest a link to the phone's native language translation pack. For andor's trail, a single "AT Translations" app would suffice, given the size of the files. Maybe this design uses what you just called app add-in that you would like to avoid, but based on what Oskar told me few months ago about the localization system in AT (and android apps in general), I think it would be the easiest way to let players choose "original version" or "localized version". Then again, it is just something I personnaly would love.

Too bad I already have too many projects on my own these days. I would love to start contributing to AT's code... maybe in a few months

All my statements are meant to be nothing more than feedback from one single user among thousands. Seeing Andor's Trail evolve and gain attention the past 3 years has always been a pleasure, and I surely don't intent to change your way of doing things (don't change a winning team ! ). I'm just taking advantage of your carefull attention to user feedback to try to drive AT in the direction I'd like, but rest assured, I'll keep playing/upgrading/recommending AT to whoever has an android device, regardless of the impact of my opinions to the game.

Thank you for reading me, and thank you for Andor's Trail.

Edit : sorry, I messed up the Highscores thread. If an admin could move this post to a new topic, called "Feeddback on 0.6.11" for example, I could feel less ashamed

[ctnbeh13]

Zukero,

Thanks for your post. Your views are particularly welcomed on software design. As you mentioned, Andor's Trail has really evolved, much in part because of input such as yours. Even someone who may simply pose a question, might be the one who unknowingly greatly impacts the direction of how something currently being done, goes towards getting done more efficiently, effectively, and/or just differently (in a better way), by triggering a form or stream of lateral thought. Please don't equate what you may feel to be lack of understanding of what goes into the game, to what may be considered a helpful or significant suggestion, question, or comment. I say this to all who may read this post, out of the belief that many people have great ideas, but for one reason or another, feel uncomfortable with sharing them. There's actually a fair number of ideas that are currently on "the back burner", only to be potentially added in at a later phase of development.

Prioritization of development is always an active topic, as the flow of available time and content that is submitted finds its way into the game, much like placing a puzzle piece into the big picture (developing puzzle).

The continued development of a High Score list or Leader Board, is something that could be streamlined and taken further, but in what direction? A forum poll might serve well to determine, but by their very nature are limited in what information they convey based on the number of participants. Many players seem to favor the interactive process of logging into the forum and posting their updates, along with their associated commentary. A more automated approach may take away from the social aspect of the process, which I believe is more favored than the competitive portion of just being on a list (from my observation, and possibly skewed view from the sense of community associated with the forum). However, none of this is shared to negate the validity of your post.

Aside from the background on the Andor's Trail Project, due to its growing popularity, many players and forum members have voluntarily translated and compiled the other languages this game is available in. Due to the flow of development, the additional language files are usually the last to be available. With the team approach, as nyktos has covered elsewhere, "in house" testing and other final touches are often going on while new translations are being added in. For whatever it's worth, I myself always choose a piece of software that's available in an English only language, when presented with the choice.

Please keep the feedback and input coming. I'm not the only one who reads it, or takes notice.

On behalf of all who have contributed to Andor's Trail, the game and its forum, thank you for your compliments on the game itself. I believe they carry a great amount of significance, and help to balance out the negative feedback that's primarily, and ironically, based on the fact that "this game is a work in progress".

[Pyrizzle]

Edit : sorry, I messed up the Highscores thread. If an admin could move this post to a new topic, called "Feeddback on 0.6.11" for example, I could feel less ashamed

Ask and you shall receive!

No worries Zukero! Happy hunting!!!

[Samuel]

Just a suggestion for the leaderboards signature format. As the game system changed quite a bit, and total AP can evolve, the new AP format should become something like "AP:X/Y" with X the attack cost, and Y the total AP.

This is not the only stat I do not support in the signature-highscore-list. I tried to use the most important ones. I think I will not change that.

Just my 2 cents :p... how about an android app that can parse the save files, and publish the status to a leader board online. That way, no need to put some "online" features in the core AT app, but just add a side app for fans.

I would love an external app to be able to parse the savegame and submit the scores online. I do not have the resources to do so, but it would be great.

While I'm at it, would it be possible to put the different loclizations in a separate android package ? Like have the english game only, and download an extra app for optional translations ? I prefer my games in english, and this partial translation thing is making me sick (although I admire and respect the work of the translators, they bring many new players to AT).

I totally agree, but I think different packages for the different localizations is the wrong approach.
It should simply be possible to change the language in the game. (the app K-9 Mail can do it.)

Unfortunately it is currently only possible by changing the phones language.
A workaround would be custom builds.

[oskarwiksten]

The continued development of a High Score list or Leader Board, is something that could be streamlined and taken further, but in what direction? A forum poll might serve well to determine, but by their very nature are limited in what information they convey based on the number of participants. Many players seem to favor the interactive process of logging into the forum and posting their updates, along with their associated commentary. A more automated approach may take away from the social aspect of the process, which I believe is more favored than the competitive portion of just being on a list (from my observation, and possibly skewed view from the sense of community associated with the forum). However, none of this is shared to negate the validity of your post.

I think ctnbeh13 touches on an important point here, which is the community aspect of this game. On this forum, we have people posting their thoughts and actually communicating with each other. Compared to just a raw "leaderboard", this forum adds a lot on top of that. I think that having a leaderboard that is based on the active forum members is an excellent motivator for people to actually post here.

Having a non-forum based leaderboard based on either automatic or manual savegame uploads would need to solve the issue of people locally modifying their savegames. With the game being open-source, it is very easy to modify the game to suit your own liking, and that might not fit well with how other people play the game, such as those that play the official version from Google Play.