Hey there,
I wanted to give my two-cents on the design. There are some elements of it I really do not think are up to scratch, while there are other parts which are alright if not good. When you're playing a strategy you need information quickly and easily and my problem is with the map/UI.
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Example 1: Hard to see cities and paths
Screenshot(s): s1.postimg.org/s6oja2q2n/Screenshot.png / http://s1.postimg.org/6yausnblr/Screenshot2.png / s30.postimg.org/a0n6j8mdt/Screenshot3.png
Whilst some countries have it worse than others the roads are simply difficult to see. Even when zoomed in they're thin grey lines which one has to spend time examining. If multiple countries or armies were to clash along these I would imagine it becoming a problem as players would have to stop and investigate, rather than taking it in at a glance.
Towns are also troublesome to distinguish even with city names enabled. The fact that forest and mountain symbols are the same colour/gradient means you need to stop and examine the map.
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Example 2: 'Squashed' Map
Screenshot(s): http://s28.postimg.org/l7t7vik6l/Screenshot4.png
See those two infantry units heading to the city? By the look of the map you would imagine they were going to arrive at roughly the same time. However, the bottom one is actually going to arrive 30mins earlier than the top. For a skirmish or moving units this might seem petty, but for a large-scale war or operation this would be troublesome.
I do not understand why the map is 'squashed' as it causes the perspective to seem off. While the 3D units are indeed fancy sacrificing the look of the map for them was unnecessary.
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Example 3: Messy Clumping
Screenshot(s): http://s22.postimg.org/wk0j11rup/Screenshot5.png
There are currently no means of switching unit decals from 'cards' or '3d models' to 'pins' or some other simplified version. This means that when units group together and you have additional details turned on the scene can become messy. Once again when you get into proper fights this will become a problem where players are forced to stop and investigate, rather than getting information at a glance.
I see that there are a lot of unit variations too. Different planes, tanks, cars and ships.
When looking at their unit icons under build menus and then back to the map, I imagine it'll be rather easy to confuse one for the other on a glance, especially when they start bundling up over one city or specific area.
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Example 5: Build menu
Screenshot(s): s18.postimg.org/csiayeh1l/Screenshot6.png
Last but not least, the build menu hides your current resources.
That is it. I do like the sliding tabs, they're quick and simple, but when I open it up the resources at the top of my screen becomes hidden, so I have to constantly flick back and forth between the menu and main screen while planning ahead. I enjoy Supremacy's version more in contrast to this, where you could have different windows open at the same time, like a planning table with all the charts you need, allowing you to draw comparisons between them without opening and closing.
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Thanks for reading.
Although some of these may seem petty, like I said at the start a strategy game's UI is supposed to provide the player with fast, easy to understand information required for desicion making, even in a slow-pace game such as this.
Happy hunting.
I wanted to give my two-cents on the design. There are some elements of it I really do not think are up to scratch, while there are other parts which are alright if not good. When you're playing a strategy you need information quickly and easily and my problem is with the map/UI.
-----
Example 1: Hard to see cities and paths
Screenshot(s): s1.postimg.org/s6oja2q2n/Screenshot.png / http://s1.postimg.org/6yausnblr/Screenshot2.png / s30.postimg.org/a0n6j8mdt/Screenshot3.png
Whilst some countries have it worse than others the roads are simply difficult to see. Even when zoomed in they're thin grey lines which one has to spend time examining. If multiple countries or armies were to clash along these I would imagine it becoming a problem as players would have to stop and investigate, rather than taking it in at a glance.
Towns are also troublesome to distinguish even with city names enabled. The fact that forest and mountain symbols are the same colour/gradient means you need to stop and examine the map.
-----
Example 2: 'Squashed' Map
Screenshot(s): http://s28.postimg.org/l7t7vik6l/Screenshot4.png
See those two infantry units heading to the city? By the look of the map you would imagine they were going to arrive at roughly the same time. However, the bottom one is actually going to arrive 30mins earlier than the top. For a skirmish or moving units this might seem petty, but for a large-scale war or operation this would be troublesome.
I do not understand why the map is 'squashed' as it causes the perspective to seem off. While the 3D units are indeed fancy sacrificing the look of the map for them was unnecessary.
----------
Example 3: Messy Clumping
Screenshot(s): http://s22.postimg.org/wk0j11rup/Screenshot5.png
There are currently no means of switching unit decals from 'cards' or '3d models' to 'pins' or some other simplified version. This means that when units group together and you have additional details turned on the scene can become messy. Once again when you get into proper fights this will become a problem where players are forced to stop and investigate, rather than getting information at a glance.
I see that there are a lot of unit variations too. Different planes, tanks, cars and ships.
When looking at their unit icons under build menus and then back to the map, I imagine it'll be rather easy to confuse one for the other on a glance, especially when they start bundling up over one city or specific area.
-----
Example 5: Build menu
Screenshot(s): s18.postimg.org/csiayeh1l/Screenshot6.png
Last but not least, the build menu hides your current resources.
That is it. I do like the sliding tabs, they're quick and simple, but when I open it up the resources at the top of my screen becomes hidden, so I have to constantly flick back and forth between the menu and main screen while planning ahead. I enjoy Supremacy's version more in contrast to this, where you could have different windows open at the same time, like a planning table with all the charts you need, allowing you to draw comparisons between them without opening and closing.
-----
Thanks for reading.
Although some of these may seem petty, like I said at the start a strategy game's UI is supposed to provide the player with fast, easy to understand information required for desicion making, even in a slow-pace game such as this.
Happy hunting.