[Discuss] Re: delayed scouts active

[Vincent Plouffe]

I'll preface this by saying that I consider myself a fairly casual BM 
player, meaning that I focus most of my play time on one character and don't 
generally get too worked up about how the crunchy bits come together, so 
long as the game and its interface is easy to navigate.

I've read some of what has been discussed on the topic of the new scout 
reports on this board, but not all.  To be honest, I could care less about 
the complexities along the likes of 'if I log in at X, I can get Y to do Z 
and still have time for tea!'  I'm just here to give my brain a little 
creative release and have a few laughs.  I appreciate that a good portion of 
the game is about management, but the big questions for players like me are: 
how much management is too much, and when do I stop having fun.  This little 
excerpt from the game's splash page has been mentioned a few times already, 
but sums it all up rather nicely:

"BattleMaster is a light-weight game that can be played alongside your other 
activities. Although you can delve deeply into it and spend more time on it, 
about 15 minutes per day are enough for regular play, and 5 will do if you 
are in a hurry."

The old scouting model allowed an individual noble to make his way around 
without stumbling into monsters at every turn - been there, done that - and 
permitted easy checking of what was nearby.  I could log in for the turn, 
read a few messages, do whatever I needed, and then log back out.   Each 
turn was nicely encapsulated.  If I missed a turn, it was no big deal.  If 
information from abroad was required, I needed only call a friend in the 
area and get the info, and usually got a response within a few minutes.  It 
was all very easy and straightforward.  The new model crosses that pesky 
line where I suddenly find myself having to pre-plan all my turns, scouting, 
travel plans, etc.  What was once a simple string of single turn actions now 
bleeds across several turns.  Overall, there's a bizzare obsessive 
compulsive quality about it that is a serious turn-off.

I appreciate that this is an exercise, and that it is being explored with 
the best of intentions, but I've found it to be a serious impediment to my 
enjoyment and an overall detriment to my interest in the game.  It also 
seems to be causing one hell of a mess for the minor benefit of trying to 
make misdirection more useful.

Please consider switching back to the old system.

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