You can drag animals from the resource tray into the fireplace. That's why they switch to show tokens underneath so you know you can do something with the.
Any impressions on the general art style? From the video it looked like there was a lot of flash distracting from the actual gameplay (like the battery draining moving backgrounds in Can't Stop)
I've loved the physical game since it came out. I don't find the flash elements distracting at all. I can focus easily on the gameplay, and it's cool to watch while waiting between turns. The art style is very true to the game. It brings it alive.
Acknowledgement: noted with thanks. Notes: there are some short cut buttons on screen which help a lot, say switching between town and farm view. Will report more in after work hours.
Sorry I mean the thread (but thank you anyway), might be a TA app bug but was curious what TA users were rating the game
For such a complex game, its been done really well IMO (in one play through so far). But some jarring things stand out. 1) The initial "Play Online / Play Offline" sticks out a bit and shame its not all integrated into 1 menu. 2) Creating offline profiles is a bit clunky 3) No Game Centre which is also a bit odd and their own online implementation looks a bit rushed. All points to a bit of a problem for me which must have lead to the delays which they put some of these things in. But as I say, its a small thing as the rest of the game so far is really good - even if I did score "2" in my first game against 2 other AI
I don't find the graphics distracting. I put a few hours in since I got it and all I can say is wow. I put it down after trying (badly) a couple of times in the solo mode. Your supposed to finish with a score of 50, my best was 47 so far. The tutorial is a little long, but is broken up into a few parts. It holds your hand thru an ideal run as solo, explaining everything and having you do it. Takes about 40 min to complete, after doing it I completely understood the rules, now the tactics are another story. Those I have been picking up as I play. Even typing this I'm thinking "why waste time doing this, when i could be playing it". Addictive.
Statement: may be we should do something like those who do for Warhammer Quest. Here is an article for new players: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/332022/common-mistakes-while-playing-agricola-a-summary Addition (behind a mechanical breathing device): When skimming the BGG, apart from the impressive resemblance of a famous Star Wars character, I find this interesting: "The general consensus on BGG is that a player is better off not naming a pet – the animal will likely meet a tragic end."
There was a lot of care taken to make sure that where possible the actual art from the physical game was retained, and any new art was an extension of the style found in the original, as shown below: This is actually consistent with the rest of Playdek's games, as they all use the same system. It makes more sense to separate these rather than to try to cram every option for online and offline play on one page, especially on smaller devices. It's pretty straightforward: just choose a profile name, family colour, and the characters that will then represent your family in the game. There does seem to be an issue with the profiles, though, as logging into the online lobby will create a new unwanted offline profile. It's not odd; Playdek are centralising their multiplayer, and using their own system allows for cross-platform play in the future without requiring them to remove a redundant system and reimplement the multiplayer functions at that time. Days of Wonder already do this same thing with Ticket to Ride and the upcoming Small World revamp. From Playdek's Facebook page: "We want to give you a heads up regarding playing Agricola online. After working directly with Apple concerning our proprietary online platform, as well as building support for our future plans, we have implemented Playdek accounts for our online game servers. Having a Playdek account will be required to play Agricola online. This platform change was integrated as we worked through the approval process with Apple, and we are grateful for their support and guidance. Going forward, all of our titles will support the new Playdek online system and accounts."
Sorry, I worded that oddly. I meant in context to the movement happening, does it become distracting at all to have all the movement going on? Maybe it's just me but that kind of stuff draws my eyes and can sometimes frustrate me as I'm trying to focus on other things.
Honestly, although there are multiple animations taking place on every screen (leaves falling, birds flying, animals moving, people working, smoke drifting, etc.), I've found that I don't really notice them unless I stop and look for them. The map animations aren't obtrusive, and don't delay the gameplay unnecessarily either, but if you're particularly sensitive to these things you might want to wait for a good-quality video to base your decision on.
As an off-line player only I am very interested in opinions on the AI. There are already 2 comments on BGG about a very poor AI. I know it's early days, but any first impressions from TAers.
Where can I find the rules for the solo series? Can't seem to find it anywhere beyond the initial screen... . Also the AI is a little disappointing. But I guess it's sufficient enough for new to mid level gamers. But for the die hard pros, the AI seems to be making a lot of mistakes and inefficient moves. If you want a little more specifics, 3 big examples would be them going crazy building rooms from rd3, them not prioritising plowing as well as the plow/sow action enough and them having too many empty spaces at game end. Edit: Oh and I got 6w many times... .
Menu -> Rulebook -> Game Rules -> Overview -> Scroll down to Game Types. The "diehard pros" should be playing live opponents. That said, we'll probably see improvements to the AI come along as Playdek work on the I and K decks. For the main part, though, I agree that the current AI will be sufficient for many players, and the solo mode provides a challenge that doesn't require an AI opponent, so there's always that too.
Dayum this is a complicated game for new players. Only playing through the tutorials though. I'm sure it'll start clicking soon.
I think it's probably a good thing that the game only includes the basic E deck at present, if only to prevent the premature head-explosion of newbies who insist on including the more complex I and K decks straight away. ^_^
