12-11-2001 19:45									#1
	Criptical Interface Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

First of all, you probably will say me "READ THE MANUAL", but I believe that ALL the screens MUST have at least ONE on-game button.

I've played at the game and I found really criptical the interface, first I don't supposed to use the F1 / F11 keys (so a lot of info simply couldn't be reached directly), or that the description of "how create and embassy" says "double clicking on the capitol". My capitol? Or the other civ capitol? Which button? Finally in a thread I found that was the RIGHT button (thanks apolytoners!).

Also, the diplomatic assistant screen simply S-U-C-K-S, no detailed info about what we know about them (it appears in the diplomatic conversation screen, why not in the game? Or is another key trick like CTRL+ALT+D???), only 7 rival civs in the screen, so what happens if I'm playing in a huge map with 15??...

If (as it appears) the faces are zoomable, WHY NOT reduce them more and create a 16 polygon with each one in each corner, and in the empty border space create miniwindows with the info of the civ. And with an access to the info on F1/F11 buttons that doesn't have any shortcut? And the small ball next to a face, I deducted that is an embassy-present icon (Is the same ball that uses the units, yes? Recycling space after the 700 Mb need for the installation??? ).

About the city screen, is a great one, but with an access to the civilopedia from the building-queue/choose-list sector could be a great chance! Actually we can check the civilopdia asking another thing, clicking the up-arrow and selecting the asked thing.

The other questions are about advertisings and zoom, why not when you quit (in a PIII 866 MHz needs some time) say "quiting..." with a clock progress as when loading/starting a game, If not I can't know if the game crashes (sorry, but is usual, info: Win ME with 128 RAM). And, where is the ZOOM button??? Why not a + button in the bottom of DEPH buttons? Or better, in the Minimap??? If they are here already, where are'em? Why not more buttons in the minimap like "resources" (a second screen at the top to select the resource, and white dots/areas where they could be reached), a minimap ZOOM button.

Finally, the RIDICULOUS TINY buttons "DEPH" in the info screen, I was lucky that read here that they where crucial in the game, without this I see them as decoration, like the big button "END OF TURN" in the info screen.

I know that more buttons could be bad, but if the options are present and you don't show them you simply reduce the capacity of the people to play fully the game.

But I'm not disappointed with the game AT ALL!! Is a GREAT game, the AI is a genius, sorry for the yellowish (yes, realish but I preffer sn00py's) graphics and what I said here (and the lack of more civs, why not create a new patch-civ each two week/month in CIV3.COM???).