I really like CoW, it's one of the best browser games ever made, and it puts a lot of console+PC games to shame.
Transitioning to 1.5 maps has been a challenge for me. There are a lot of minor annoyances, some nice twists (unit bonuses per doctrine), but the biggest differences are related to unit research and upgrades.
To put it bluntly, the new system is full of traps and frustrations that make the game less enjoyable.
1. Rares are no longer rare. They produce at the same rate as other resources. They don't have a special role in research. Rares are just another resource now, and it makes me question why they exist.
2. Research requires all resources. That should not be. In 1.0 the decision to conquer+improve rare producing provinces is a big part of the game, as it allows the player to emphasize or de-emphasize research. Now that aspect of strategy is gone. Building and research needs should not compete for the same bulk resources like Goods and Iron and Oil.
3. Why do we even have so many resource types? If they are all more or less the same, just combine them into Money and be done with it.
4. Research is now a trap, like Barracks+Militia used to be a trap for new players who get stuck when their countries choke due to lack of food. Except now the player pays for research and then chokes not being able to build or upgrade anything. Because the research scientists used up all the wood, paper, brick, and steel? Seriously?
5. Upgrades take time and resources, but upgrades can happen anywhere. That makes no sense. If upgrading is an "action" then it should happen in an industrial zone capable of handling that kind of equipment. Upgrading in the middle of the ocean or in the tundra makes no sense.
6. Upgrades take resources, which is difficult to plan for. Should I even bother researching a unit? In 1.0, it was possible to see the total cost (in money, food, rares) and make a decision. Now, the cost is hidden.
7. Upgrade as an action is onerous and annoying. I have to find all the units that need an upgrade, manually click them, this splits my armies, and now there is an extra 1 hour timer to wait for. Afterward, I have to re-combine my armies, maybe bring them back if part of the army kept walking. None of this is fun. Actions that are not fun don't belong in a game.
8. The 1.0 mechanism of "research and upgrade" is superior, because it's easier and more fun. If you want to make it costlier to research-and-upgrade a unit when the player has lots of those units, then simply increase the cost! No need to create two separate actions and complicate the interface.
Did I mention that I hate the new research and upgrade mechanisms?
It's more work and added frustration without adding anything enjoyable to the gaming experience.
Transitioning to 1.5 maps has been a challenge for me. There are a lot of minor annoyances, some nice twists (unit bonuses per doctrine), but the biggest differences are related to unit research and upgrades.
To put it bluntly, the new system is full of traps and frustrations that make the game less enjoyable.
1. Rares are no longer rare. They produce at the same rate as other resources. They don't have a special role in research. Rares are just another resource now, and it makes me question why they exist.
2. Research requires all resources. That should not be. In 1.0 the decision to conquer+improve rare producing provinces is a big part of the game, as it allows the player to emphasize or de-emphasize research. Now that aspect of strategy is gone. Building and research needs should not compete for the same bulk resources like Goods and Iron and Oil.
3. Why do we even have so many resource types? If they are all more or less the same, just combine them into Money and be done with it.
4. Research is now a trap, like Barracks+Militia used to be a trap for new players who get stuck when their countries choke due to lack of food. Except now the player pays for research and then chokes not being able to build or upgrade anything. Because the research scientists used up all the wood, paper, brick, and steel? Seriously?
5. Upgrades take time and resources, but upgrades can happen anywhere. That makes no sense. If upgrading is an "action" then it should happen in an industrial zone capable of handling that kind of equipment. Upgrading in the middle of the ocean or in the tundra makes no sense.
6. Upgrades take resources, which is difficult to plan for. Should I even bother researching a unit? In 1.0, it was possible to see the total cost (in money, food, rares) and make a decision. Now, the cost is hidden.
7. Upgrade as an action is onerous and annoying. I have to find all the units that need an upgrade, manually click them, this splits my armies, and now there is an extra 1 hour timer to wait for. Afterward, I have to re-combine my armies, maybe bring them back if part of the army kept walking. None of this is fun. Actions that are not fun don't belong in a game.
8. The 1.0 mechanism of "research and upgrade" is superior, because it's easier and more fun. If you want to make it costlier to research-and-upgrade a unit when the player has lots of those units, then simply increase the cost! No need to create two separate actions and complicate the interface.
Did I mention that I hate the new research and upgrade mechanisms?
It's more work and added frustration without adding anything enjoyable to the gaming experience.