My thoughts after playing beta2

Really enjoying playing beta2 today. Here are some of my thoughts/suggestions...

1) Carrier Plasma Cannon: I think the plasma cannon range is too short, I think the range should be a bit longer, maybe 1.5 times longer. Visibility, terrain and walls etc. should be enough restriction from it being overpowered. I think it should also drop off into the ground over range rather than explode mid air because it's hard to tell if your shots are hitting the target or falling short by half a mile. I also think the plasma cannon should also blow trees away, ohhhh yeah! :)

2) Whether I'm using the carrier guns or a manta I find it hard to tell in general if I'm in weapons range and hitting my target. I notice target indicators change colour grey/orange/red but not sure what they mean. More visual feedback on hits or some audio cues like "target out of range" might be useful.

3) My stockpile island was captured very early on and I realised that I could no longer produce or send supplies. But what I didn't know was that I could assign another of my islands as a stockpile island. I thought I had to re-capture the existing one and spent ages trying to do so with limited resources. I think if your stockpile island is take a video/radio message should be played suggesting that you should assign a new island as your stockpile island. This would be a useful tip especially for new players. The crew member could say "Commander we should consider assigning a new stockpile island" every 5 mins or something until one is assigned.

5) I don't think it's easy enough to see if you have empty/dead vehicle slots. More visual contrast between the dead/alive vehicle slot graphics might be nice.

back to playing... :)

Absolutely with you - especialli Nr.5 is not so much work (I think) but worth it.

Also two suggestions from me:

1) Island-Connection-Lines: It woult be very useful (will say important!) to see the Network-Connetions between the islands. So I can decide taking the "left" or "right" one enemy island for exaple, because one of both is so isolatet that - if caputred and mine - there will be no connection to my other islands. This will be very important for my decision, which island to attack next.

Now I can see my connection-lines and the enemy ones. But not these from enemy islands toward my ones. Not to show too much and getting confused maybe the best solution is just to show all networklines from an island, when hovering with the mous over it or by klicking it.

2) Manual Timewarp: There are situations, when I've just to wait... because fuel is empty or I'm isolatet on an outpost (enemy capured my connection) etc. - then could be very useful to have an Timewarp-Button for manually activating and stopping the Timewarp. Otherwise I've to sit maybe minutes to wait e.g. for enough ressources etc.

These two Points could be really interesting for raising strategy-factor and fun in Carrier Command. Hope you think about it and maybe give us a patch later (or maybe you have already thought about it ...).

Thanx

Anton (who downloadet yesterday Beta2 and played till two'o'clock... :butbut:)

---------- Post added at 10:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 AM ----------

Addition:

3) Extra keys for the Carrier AA-Guns: Its extremely annoying that the AA-Guns of the Carrier can only be cycled through. If my Carrier is attacked by air and I will defend him manually the Situation ist following: The Manta approaches, I fire on him and he flys over the Carrier to the other side - now I have to cycle through and find him, to fire again. Then the Manta flys back and I have to cycle back three times or more to "find" him.

It would be much better, if every single cannon (also the Plasma) could be assigned with an own key. So for example if the attack comes from front/right, I can switch to back/left-cannon with ONE Key and after that again to front/right-cannon also with ONE Key, instead of cycling around nervously while the Manta fires on me.

By the way: This special keys dont have to be assigned from start on. Its absolutely okay, if the cannons are cycled by standard but the possibillity is there to give extra Keys to each of them.

I think and hope this is also no big afford. As I said: Maybe in a Patch. But it would be really useful!

Yes there are times I found myself walking away from the computer and waiting 30mins or so for a command centre to build and I had no fuel to leave the island or mess around with the vehicles. I think some more activities/distractions to do on the carrier at moments like this would also be good. Something that doesn't use resources but keeps you occupied and immersed in the game world while you wait.

I totally agree cycling through the aa guns as one enemy flys back and forth over the carrier isn't very fun. I think the aa guns maybe should auto fire if on the plasma gun or maybe have a dedicated button to toggle autofiring guns? Or maybe seperate the plasma gun from the aa gun cycle?

5) I don't think it's easy enough to see if you have empty/dead vehicle slots. More visual contrast between the dead/alive vehicle slot graphics might be nice.

My thoughts as well. Same is for the Manta/Walrus icons on the production items. Hard to distinguish.