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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0021503AI War 2SuggestionOct 4, 2019 11:50 am
Reporterulu Assigned ToChris_McElligottPark  
Status closedResolutionwon't fix 
Product Version0.880 Belatedly Finding Friends... And Enemies 
Summary0021503: Change colors of planet mark levels
DescriptionI know that's totally subjective, but I'd like it if the colors of the planet mark levels had a different ranking. For me it is very confusing that a MK IV planet has got a green color and the next rank is getting darker and redder (MK V) but the lower rank also (Mark II). Maybe you could make it more consistent.
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Chris_McElligottPark

Aug 12, 2019 8:48 am

administrator   ~0052541

If someone has some suggestions I'm open, but this is basically a mirror of the progression from the first game, just spread over more marks now.

Chris_McElligottPark

Oct 4, 2019 11:31 am

administrator   ~0053451

I've done a lot of thinking about this, and a couple of internal trials, and I think I'm going to leave it the way it is. This is something that I've been updating over time from the first game through this one, and my most recent set of color changes was maybe a few weeks before this report was opened.

Essentially, the core problem is readability and not being able to tell groups apart if it's all too much of a single gradient. Also trying to keep some consistency with the first game.

First game had:
mark 1 was light blue
mark 2 was brighter blue
mark 3 was bright green
mark 4 was bright red
mark 5 was scary purple

The second game has seven marks, and they're broken up in a way that kind of hints at their grouping, so to speak:

mark 1 is pale yellow
mark 2 is orange

These are the ones that are really really weak, and so they wind up looking like it, and being kind of grouped together visually. You can tell the two of them apart, which is nice, but they also really stand out as being "easy pickings" compared to everything else.

mark 3 is blue, which is a really big shift.

This is where things start getting notably powerful, but the blue hints that things aren't really SUPER hard yet. These are targets that in the game when looking at planets are often things that have good stuff on them that you can capture early even with weaker fleets, so highlighting them some makes sense.

mark 4 is green, which is another really big shift.

These are pretty darn scary in the early game, but not abject terrifying. So highlighting these again makes a certain amount of sense, as they're a thing to avoid. But why green? Well, the colors are the same when you're controlling your own units, and the 4th mark is typically about the highest you can get via one tech upgrade line. It's also solidly a "fully upgraded but not overpowered" level for mid to late game stuff. Something to feel happy about using, without it being "overdriven for maximum success."

mark 5 is red
mark 6 is almost the same red
mark 7 is scary purple

These basically have the same late-game progression that the first game did, and they are rare enough (and 5 and 6 have a different-enough shape in roman numerals) that they are easy to pick out. They are ALL things to be very scared of early in the game, and to be very cautious of in the late game even.

So... there's the reasoning. The color shifts help you navigate the galaxy map, or should at least, even if it's not a traditional progression of slight color changes from one hue/darkness to a different hue/lightness. Those sorts of progressions are somewhat more intuitive at a glance, but over extended play in particular give you a lot less info and are harder to distinguish. That's my feeling, anyhow.

Cheers!

Chris_McElligottPark

Oct 4, 2019 11:50 am

administrator   ~0053452

Actually, in for the next version:

* Added a new "Extra: The Meanings Behind Planet Mark Level Colors" section to the galaxy map section of the "how to play / tips" section.


Thanks!

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Aug 11, 2019 4:50 am ulu New Issue
Aug 12, 2019 8:48 am Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0052541
Oct 4, 2019 11:31 am Chris_McElligottPark Assigned To => Chris_McElligottPark
Oct 4, 2019 11:31 am Chris_McElligottPark Status new => closed
Oct 4, 2019 11:31 am Chris_McElligottPark Resolution open => won't fix
Oct 4, 2019 11:31 am Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0053451
Oct 4, 2019 11:50 am Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0053452