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Your Elvenar Team
Rotate feature
- Thread starter Celwynd
- Start date
SoggyShorts
Mathematician par Excellence
Moho
Chef
Yeah, I've read that too. The idea that the game lacks the rotate function so that people will continue to find Elvenar challenging and not get bored too soon is just a lame excuse. I would be surprised if people really believed that.
In fact, the rotate function would give people the opportunity to get original with building placement and invest as much creativity in coming up with the best city layout. There would be such a variety of designs and arrangements that visiting other players' cities would permanently be a beautiful surprise. The main complaint that I hear from my friends about this game is that it doesn't allow much creativity. And I can see the same human propensity to come up with something personal and original when I visit some of my neighbors' cities where things don't go so well, but the layout looks more natural, more beautiful...
The problem with this limitation where rotating buildings is not an option is that cities look suffocating and artificial. And it is a pity because all the other elements show so much care for detail and beauty after all.
In fact, the rotate function would give people the opportunity to get original with building placement and invest as much creativity in coming up with the best city layout. There would be such a variety of designs and arrangements that visiting other players' cities would permanently be a beautiful surprise. The main complaint that I hear from my friends about this game is that it doesn't allow much creativity. And I can see the same human propensity to come up with something personal and original when I visit some of my neighbors' cities where things don't go so well, but the layout looks more natural, more beautiful...
The problem with this limitation where rotating buildings is not an option is that cities look suffocating and artificial. And it is a pity because all the other elements show so much care for detail and beauty after all.
SoggyShorts
Mathematician par Excellence
@Moho
the problem is that there are 2 opposing parts to this game.
There's the artistic side which certainly suffers due to lack of a rotate feature, and then there's the challenge/efficiency/puzzle part which would be greatly diminished by allowing it.
And while you feel that creativity would increase with rotation the thing is that in the entire second half of the game either your residences or workshops (or both) change orientation each chapter which FORCES players to redo their city plan. If you could just rotate buildings back this wouldn't happen so cities could stagnate.
the problem is that there are 2 opposing parts to this game.
There's the artistic side which certainly suffers due to lack of a rotate feature, and then there's the challenge/efficiency/puzzle part which would be greatly diminished by allowing it.
And while you feel that creativity would increase with rotation the thing is that in the entire second half of the game either your residences or workshops (or both) change orientation each chapter which FORCES players to redo their city plan. If you could just rotate buildings back this wouldn't happen so cities could stagnate.
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Moho
Chef
@SoggyShorts
If there are 2 opposing parties, the game makers are the only ones to blame.
This problem could have been solved from the start by introducing the option that one should be able to rotate the buildings AT A COST. For example, they should pay a diamond per rotation. Or, players could choose from the very beginning whether they want to play the rotation version where resources are more difficult to obtain, or to develop at the current pace while being deprived of the rotation ability. There must be so many other possibilities that can't even cross my mind right now.
The truth is that in this respect, Elvenar producers have chosen the easy way. The game looks beautiful, but players can't express their creativity or originality and, as a result, cities look strained, congested, and artificial, as opposed to natural, beautiful, and happy.
If there is someone who cares about Elvenar here and can really do something about it, they should only keep these words in mind:
natural, beautiful, and happy.
If there are 2 opposing parties, the game makers are the only ones to blame.
This problem could have been solved from the start by introducing the option that one should be able to rotate the buildings AT A COST. For example, they should pay a diamond per rotation. Or, players could choose from the very beginning whether they want to play the rotation version where resources are more difficult to obtain, or to develop at the current pace while being deprived of the rotation ability. There must be so many other possibilities that can't even cross my mind right now.
The truth is that in this respect, Elvenar producers have chosen the easy way. The game looks beautiful, but players can't express their creativity or originality and, as a result, cities look strained, congested, and artificial, as opposed to natural, beautiful, and happy.
If there is someone who cares about Elvenar here and can really do something about it, they should only keep these words in mind:
natural, beautiful, and happy.
Moho
Chef
One objection to what I've just written is that the city would still look strained, congested, and artificial even in the presence of rotation because the main limitation in the game is lack of space. Someone could say that a city could really look natural, beautiful, and happy only if expansion were easy and free. They could say that rotation is not really the problem, and the limit on expansion cannot be eliminated since it is a game after all, so there is nothing anyone can do.
False.
There are a lot of towns on developed in narrow places around the world where everything is crammed, but things still look natural, people are relaxed, and there is still a sense of beauty because structures do not seem to have one and the same facade and buildings do not look unidirectional. Despite the lack of space (or the option for expansion) these places still look natural, beautiful, and happy because their alignment shows variety. Here's an example:
False.
There are a lot of towns on developed in narrow places around the world where everything is crammed, but things still look natural, people are relaxed, and there is still a sense of beauty because structures do not seem to have one and the same facade and buildings do not look unidirectional. Despite the lack of space (or the option for expansion) these places still look natural, beautiful, and happy because their alignment shows variety. Here's an example:
AtaguS
Well-Known Member
Perhaps I'm deluding myself, but the photo above reminds me a bit of my own city...
I usually have several lake buildings around my MH to give it more a central park feel but this latest chapter design didn't allow for it. I'll go back to it later. My point is, I still think there is room for creativity and beauty in the game even without a rotate feature.
I would love to see some decorative pieces available in mirrored directions but wouldn't be on board with a rotate feature at this point.
I'd also love to see some sort of - paid of course - option to change the look of residences because I do think it would be fun to have a more varied look to them. But again, I would only want to change the outer appearance, not the direction it faces.
I usually have several lake buildings around my MH to give it more a central park feel but this latest chapter design didn't allow for it. I'll go back to it later. My point is, I still think there is room for creativity and beauty in the game even without a rotate feature.
I would love to see some decorative pieces available in mirrored directions but wouldn't be on board with a rotate feature at this point.
I'd also love to see some sort of - paid of course - option to change the look of residences because I do think it would be fun to have a more varied look to them. But again, I would only want to change the outer appearance, not the direction it faces.
samidodamage
Buddy Fan Club member
We have only had a path to get our ideas/suggestions to the devs for less than a year (March 2020). Prior to that, the only forum path to the devs was from beta. Our volunteer moderator @Xelenia worked really hard to develop this path for this forum so we can even be heard. The path is one-way; if the mods hear anything back they will let us know, but so far that has been very few times and usually along the lines of 'not what you wanted to hear, but...'
The devs had very strict requirements to even look at these suggestions. You can find those requirements here.
The second post in that thread (here) describes the ideas/suggestions that will not even be considered, so the mods will not set them up for the required voting nor will they forward those ideas/suggestions to the devs. The portion of that post relevant to this idea is:
The devs had very strict requirements to even look at these suggestions. You can find those requirements here.
The second post in that thread (here) describes the ideas/suggestions that will not even be considered, so the mods will not set them up for the required voting nor will they forward those ideas/suggestions to the devs. The portion of that post relevant to this idea is:
- Rotating Buildings - For starters, this ability will take away from the essence of the game. Can you imagine how easy the game will become if we can simply rotate the buildings' like puzzle pieces to fit as we wish? Additionally, design-wise, it is not possible making this a definite No.
Moho
Chef
True. But it is frustrating that a 2015 game cannot include a feature that was present in much older ones, such as the 1996 Holiday Island. Sometimes stingy businesspeople focus on cutting expense and fail to see the profit potential of certain investments that would (insanely) lure customers. I think the ability to rotate buildings would make such a desired feature.
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Silver Lady
Well-Known Member
I also wouldn’t be on board with a rotation feature. Rearranging my city to make best use of space while still trying to make it ”pretty” to my eyes is a big part of why I play Elvenar and not some other game.
@Celwynd But keep the ideas flowing, it helps to keep the game and forum alive.
ajqtrz
Chef - loquacious Old Dog
In reference to the picture above [to save space I removed it from this quote], have you ever tried to rent an apartment in a place like that? Sand Francisco has run down, worn out, walk ups with communal bathrooms for only $2000 a month plus utilities, no parking (that's extra) and high crime. And the reason those places aren't "re-developed?" Because there is no room for redevelopment. Philadelphia, New York, Hong Kong, parts of London and so on and so on, are not places where you'd want to live, but because the rest of the city is in high demand the prices there are very, very high.
In addition, most Mediterranean(I believe the one you posted is one, though it could be the south side of the Black Sea), developed the way they did because the building materials available were what they had to use. The orange tiled roofs were not planned but necessary because the clay they had available and orange glaze was cheap and readily available. Ditto for the white stucco. Eventually, city planners may have started enforcing a code -- or at least encouraging it -- as they did in Milwaukee, called "Cream City" after the color of the local brick used to build a lot of the early buildings (and city hall) -- but that came later when city planning came into vogue.
Finally, "organic" is probably closer to the right way to describe how they grew to be the way they did. There are cities in Elvenar that are more organic and you can tell they are because they have a lot of streets, are crammed to the point of confusion, and are highly inefficient. Not that there is anything wrong with that approach. But they are not planned.
As for the "happy factor" I doubt there's a good measure of that. In SF the prices are so high people are either forced to leave (not happy at all) or they have to get a second and third job to pay for the high cost of their apartment in the crime invested part of the city. In reality, to live in some of these cities you are one of four things: super rich, super over-worked, super willing to live with a bunch of people in a very, very small space, or on the streets begging.
Of course Elvenar is a game and we don't really consider the "happy factor" of our citizens, do we? We build usually identical housing, cram it into one fat area, put the workshops altogether, and so on and so on, so that everything is quite "inorganic" but highly efficient. In the "real world" it's a recipe for unhappy citizens if there ever was one.
Well, that's all I have to say on that.
AJ
Moho
Chef
Hey, look at me. I'm really quoting now. Anyway.
When I said natural, beautiful, and happy, I referred to players' experience and their peers' reactions.
SoggyShorts
Mathematician par Excellence
This makes it sound like it was a mistake, and I disagree. It's like complaining that basketball doesn't include hockey sticks- they are two different games with different challenges and goals.
A 90-degree rotation would mean having to DOUBLE the artwork already created (nearly 10,000 buildings). I believe that the scale of what you are asking for is bigger than you think. Basically, add up all the money they've spent on artwork and double it, not to mention the fact that if we assume their graphics department is working on new stuff all of that would have to be put on hold.
I would support new buildings that are 180-degree rotations of existing buildings. So you could get a unicorn that faces left instead of right.
This wouldn't take any programming effort since nothing is actually being rotated.
Mirroring an existing image should be pretty straight forward.
This would not in any way diminish the Tetris-puzzle.
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The bottom line is that this game, unlike many(most?) other city builders has space and efficient building placement as key aspects which would be ruined by easily flipping buildings.
Enough players love this aspect to drown out the ones who are annoyed by it.
From the "You might be obsessed with elvenar if" thread
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samidodamage
Buddy Fan Club member
My understanding is that it was not a 'cannot', but a 'will not'. The company has other city building games released before this one that include such a feature as well as other features that are not present in Elvenar. The intention was for this game to be different, if I am not mistaken. Personally, I'm happy it's different; I don't play those other games because I don't care for some of the features (it's not the rotating bldg feature that keeps me away, just to be clear; it's primarily the PvP).
Henroo
Oh Wise One
That is also my understanding. It is technically possible to include a rotate feature in Elvanar. But it will never be done. Having to shift and re-arrange your city on a periodic basis to fit the shape of your newly upgraded buildings is part of the challenge of the game.
Pheryll
Set Designer
As @SoggyShorts mentioned above, it is not technically possible until the artwork for the 90 degree rotation is added, doubling the amount of already extant artwork for buildings. The buildings only have one direction of view, they are not 3 dimensional models that can be rotated, but rather are like pictures captured in 2D.
Sarafyne
Member
I would think this is a technical consideration, to store individualized designs and building rotations would need a massive amount of memory in each of their servers, I don't think that would be feasible.
Don't forget we are playing this game for free....