Idea: in-game notepad

[The diplomat]

What if civ had an in-game notepad so the player could write stuff down during the game? The player could open the notepad at any time during their turn to make a to-do list or just write little reminders or whatever.

Good or bad?

[Rasbelin]

I think that's a very intriguing idea.

[pg]

i think if you need a notepad the game has become too involved for most players. i think simplifying the game would be much better than having an in game notepad.

[Asmodean]

May I expand a little on this?

I would like it if this notepad was at least city, if not even unit specific. Ie if you right click on the city or unit, you get access to the notepad for that specific city or unit.

You could maintain your plans better, that way. Even cooler would it be if you could create reminders for those cities/units.

Asmodean

[Leland]

If there's a need for the player to write stuff down, it means that the user interface doesn't give out all the necessary information at the right time. It's a bug, not a feature.

[The diplomat]

Originally posted by pg
i think if you need a notepad the game has become too involved for most players. i think simplifying the game would be much better than having an in game notepad.

I am not saying that a notepad is a neccesity. But it could be nice even in a simple game, if you want to jolt something down to remember later.

Were civ2 or SMAC too involved? No, but I bet there were times when a notepad would have been a nice thing to have.

With a notepad, you can write down ideas for later in the game like, "the zulus are a pain in the ass, I should wipe them out." Or "remember to build Leo's workshop as soon as I get the tech for it".

The notepad would also allow a player to write down what their strategy is, for when they take up a save game after not playing for days.

It would also be good for those players who like to keep a record of their games for AAR and fiction.

[Asmodean]

Originally posted by The diplomat

It would also be good for those players who like to keep a record of their games for AAR and fiction.

Yeah. That would be a great use for it.

Asmodean

[Colonel E]

Just have an "annotate x" feature. Be able to attach a note to anything: a minor village, a unit, a road, a city, a place on the map, a border, a region, &c.

[DarkCloud]

I'd never use it- it's just a tacky addition to a game... like the notepad on apolyton

but the annotate 'x' feature might be interesting... but a regular notepad for everything... I just don't see how it would well-serve the game at all?

[TimeTraveler]

Whether most people find it useful or not, the notepad add-on would probably be a very easy and inexpensive item to add to the game, which may be a way for it to catch on.

[Dinner]

If you really wanted something to write out your plans then why not just use an old fashioned piece of paper?

[Asmodean]

Originally posted by Oerdin
If you really wanted something to write out your plans then why not just use an old fashioned piece of paper?

Well with the keyboard and the mousepad there just doesn't seem to be enough room on my desk for paper. And mindlinks are still to expensive.

Asmodean

[Sore Loser]

In my book, anything that can save time and concentration is a great boon to any player. Of course players can keep his notes in any way he desires, but the more convenient and time-efficient those notes are, the more useful they are. The reminders in particular are a great idea, I have often found myself in need of those.

[Inverse Icarus]

we're not talking a notepad then, it's more like "post-its" you tag onto things.

it's as simple as adding a string variable to each class (unit, city, etc) and having it pop up on a mouseover, or a click, or something.

would they be global (ie, all players see them), private, or a mix?

also, there should be a line. all those strings will add up and be memory intensive. you shouldn't be able to "post-it" every terrain tile, IMHO.

and how much info are we talking? per unit and per city?

[DarkCloud]

Whether most people find it useful or not, the notepad add-on would probably be a very easy and inexpensive item to add to the game, which may be a way for it to catch on.

But it would still look tacky... I've played games with notepads- they looked tacky.

Sticky-notes, however (a la SimCity2000/3000) looked good!