Analysis of Dragon Warlords

I first heard about Dragon Warlords in Cologne at a Game Insight party. I noticed the project right away, but I didn’t get around to trying it while it was in beta. But now I had two days on the road, and I decided to play. I did not do a video review, like Leonid, I will do with a review of problematic, in my opinion, moments.

Dragon Warlords is an offense (aka tag of war) game made by Cutetown Studio and published by Game Insight: 46 missions, 9 bosses. My favorite game in this genre is League of War, I consider it almost ideal. Some will decide that this could be the end, but she is consistently in the top of the grossing, so we will continue.

I played a couple of evenings for several hours and reached level 8. It’s amazing how gamesite the game turned out to be from, in fact, an external studio. Starting from the “branded” graphics and up to the “branded”, rather rigid, balance.

In general, the game is cool and there is clearly potential in it, but here are the problems I encountered.

The first problem

The first thing I was forced to do was to build several buildings, from which I did not get a quick profit. As a result, I did not understand what I had built, why and what I should do with it next.

Solution:

Convert the tutorial to a system – task-profit-task-profit.

The second problem

Losing a fight after time has elapsed is a very tough decision.  I mostly lose because of this, and it’s very disappointing. Moreover, I only realized from the third time why I was losing. Before that, I didn’t pay attention to the timer at all, they didn’t tell me about it in the tutorial.

Solution:

If it is so necessary to leave this timer (I understand that it is easier than to balance an honest short fight), then it is necessary to highlight it more strongly, show warnings that there are, for example, 30 seconds left before the end, introduce “fatigue” (gradual loss of life by the base), instead of instant loss.

The third problem

I spent a lot of time to understand how magicians and archers differ, I realized this after a dozen fights, reading descriptions of units hidden in the depths of the interface and comparing parameters. It was terribly difficult, and in battle I still can’t remember who I should spawn. The general similarity of unit models and their icons adds fuel to the fire. If I can still somehow identify my own, then I recognize enemies only by the icons on the top minimap.

Solution:

Visually smash units, dress magicians in blue robes, dress warriors in massive red armor, archers in green ranger suits, etc. Make icons very different from each other.

The fourth problem

When assigning units to the army, it is more logical to do this: highlight the icons of the selected units, and darken those that are not selected. It is clear that you wanted to show that they are, like, transferred from the “hand” to the camp, but, in my opinion, only confused.

Solution:

What is quipped is lighter, what is not quipped is darker.

The fifth problem

Apart from the fact that the units are poorly distinguished visually, they are poorly distinguished functionally. If it wasn’t for the artificial increase in damage against another type of unit, there would have been chaos. But even now we are not talking about tactics. Each unit and tower has its own counter-unit, and you just need to shoot the order of spawn enemies and pick up a counter-unit for them.

Solution:

To spread the stats of units is much stronger: different movement speed, a significant difference in damage and life at different costs.

The sixth problem

Hence the next Problem – the price in morality. I spent 2 days and did not notice why a different price in morality is needed at all. Everyone has 5. There is no point. And besides, morality accumulates painfully for a long time, and also disproportionately for seconds, it’s annoying.

Solution:

We carry units at the price of morality from the very beginning, at least a little bit. We increase the morale gain by 2-3 times and the price of units also by 2-3 times. Let me decide: I want 2 archers or 3 militia.

The seventh problem

In battle, bonuses are spent for real money without confirmation. I realized this when I spent almost all the free crystals and got upset. Moreover, there is a whole institute for pumping these bonuses. After that, I got scared and never used them again and did not improve the building. And the free bonus is a pathetic useless special effect, it only brings disappointment with its inefficiency.

Solution:

We make all skills free, but with a longer cooldown, the use of the skill before the rollback is for premium.

The eighth problem

I lose very often. In PvP mode – less, in the campaign – more. I was especially humiliated in the mission after the first boss. And at the same time, I almost always have the most pumped units. It seems to me that this is an unhealthy topic, especially since they don’t give me anything for losing, and this is stress. I could hardly hold back tears of impotence when I did everything the game wanted me to do, there was nothing to build, but I couldn’t go through a single fight.

Solution:

In Clash of the Damned, we went through this. It is worth giving a little gold and expos for a loss, and the “haight” will be many times less. This is at least a small step forward: trampling on the spot and wasting time is very demotivating. If the mission is too difficult for me, I need to warn about it and recommend buying some bonuses or power-ups.

Problem nine

After losing, I am advised to take actions that I cannot do. For example, upgrade units when I don’t have a high enough level for this.

Solution:

Upgrade the recommendation system so that it takes into account my capabilities. If there are simply not enough resources, then you can advise – let the player buy.

The tenth problem

Several times there were moments when there was nothing to build, there was no food, it only remains to wait an unknown amount of time until food accumulates to go into battle again. And there are not very many fights. If without a premium, then, roughly speaking, a fight costs 250 food, and 500 food is generated per hour, only 2 fights per hour. It seems to me that it is not enough.

Solution:

Set up upgrades so that I build, upgrade or study something at any given time. Increase the rate of accumulation of food. Enter a timer showing when the food storage is full so that you can go fight again.

Problem eleven

There is no clear understanding of what to do next. There are 2 equivalent choices – PvP and campaign. I played like this: I can’t pass one, I switch to another. And somehow without motivation at all. There are no long-term goals. I don’t understand why I’m doing all this.

Solution:

Introduce mini-quests that will clearly tell you what to do, at least at the beginning of the game. Add some long-term tasks, at least plot ones, like, get to the castle in 10 missions – there’s a dragon. The plot, by the way, I did not understand what it is. If it’s not there, then maybe it’s worth reducing the build size and cutting out the video?

Problem twelve

According to the minimap, it is not clear what type of tower stands on the field, you have to waste time and squander the field to remember their order.

Decision:

Show the tower type as unit types are shown.

Problem thirteen

On the campaign map, it is not too noticeable where to click to continue the game.

Solution:

Highlight the last available campaign item more actively, perhaps by pulsating or flashing. Enter the “continue” button.

The fourteenth problem

It makes no sense to grind completed acts. In League of War, I knocked out prizes and passed the task at least 10 times. There is no such moment here, respectively, I will eat the content 10 times faster.

Solution:

Enter something that costs a grind at previous locations. At least there are stars, chests, keys, collections, anything that motivates me to do the same thing again. The cost of re-passing should be made 3 times lower than a new act.

Problem fifteen

When I click on the book, they tell me: you have not been attacked yet. What? I thought it was, like, a quest log or something. What does it have to do with not being attacked? What is this all about? Indirectly I guess, but still…

Solution:

Open the log and write, for example, this is the log of attacks, there will be entries when other players attack you. By the way, in 2 days no one attacked me, I did not feel the value of the shield, the concept of attack and robbery, too (that is, of course, I understood, but pretended not to understand).

Problem sixteen

In the victory window, just an increase in experience is drawn without specifying how much experience I actually received. Without specific numbers, it’s hard to navigate whether the reward is cool or not.

Solution:

Show in the victory window exactly how much experience I got.

The seventeenth problem

It is impossible to see the parameters of enemy units that I have defeated, or (more importantly) to which I have lost. And how can I understand what to strive for?

Solution:

Show in the battle results window how many enemies I killed and how many I lost with the ability to view their info.

Problem eighteen

Neither the damage animation nor the amount of damage done is shown.

Perhaps they didn’t want to make the flying numbers because of aesthetics. Although I like the numbers flying out, this is how I assess how cool this or that unit is, especially against this or that unit. Okay, but at least some animation needs to be done, otherwise the units are waving sticks in the void, passing through each other like ghosts.

Solution:

Add flying damage numbers, blink the unit that has been damaged, plus, possibly, launch blood or other damage particles from the damaged unit.

Problem nineteen

The strip of life is unnecessarily decorated. Moreover, the unit model overlaps the most important parts of it – the beginning and the end.

Solution:

Make a helsbar of a simpler shape – without ruffles and semicircular, as in Etherlords.

The twentieth problem

The texts are written very roughly, even I, a person with far from perfect English, see that they were written by a person for whom English is not native. And it will be quite obvious to native speakers.

Solution:

Hire a good English-speaking person to proofread texts and interface.

Problem twenty-one

The morality bar is closed during the fight with the left thumb. I have to take my hand away to see what’s going on. Because of this, I constantly miss the moment when morality accumulates.

Solution:

Move the bar somewhere else, perhaps closer to the units.

Problem twenty-two

In the camp I see locked units: barbarian, pirate, etc. It is impossible to get any information on them, why they are locked, how to unlock them is not clear. Dead-end loop.

Solution:

When clicking on such a unit, show info about what kind of unit it is, why it is locked, and how to get it.

Problem twenty-three

I often accidentally summon the wrong units (this is a fatal mistake) – and, accordingly, I severely lose the advantage from this error, which is quite insulting.

Solution:

Keep the sammon time, during which you can cancel the sammon and return points.

Problem twenty-four

At the eighth level, they were asked to start the game. It’s too far away. I have already made very serious progress in the game, I could have put a rating much earlier. You lose a significant part of the estimates.

Solution:

To put the first sentence to put a rating when getting level 5.

You can download the game here.