Bug#774361: how to play?

[Markus Koschany]

Hi Tomas,

On 03.01.2015 14:22, Tomas Pospisek wrote:
> tags 774361 - moreinfo + patch
> severity 774361 wishlist
> 
> thanks
> 
> Hello in the new year Markus,
> 
> I've should have also read the accompanying "README.lgeneral.gz", then I
> would have known. However I suggest to make it easier to users to "just
> play". 

I have just improved README.Debian. You can find the new version at

http://anonscm.debian.org/cgit/pkg-games/lgeneral.git/tree/debian/README.Debian

I hope this new version incorporates your suggestions and makes it now
generally intelligible how to start and play a game.


> Imagine the following situation:
> 
> It's christmas holidays and I'm bored. I fire up aptitude and install
> some games at random. Then I start them from the "Applications" menu.
> 
> Once the game is started I think the user will intuitively start
> clicking around, not least around the menu. But unless he first selects
> a scenario *and then also a campaign*, he will not be able to play.

This is not correct. You can play the game by selecting a single
scenario. A campaign is merely a sequence of scenarios accompanied by a
short briefing screen. A campaign is not mandatory to play the game.

> I think ideally the game should give the users a hint what to do next.
> 
> So upon loading the scenario, the text that is displayed should tell the
> user "and now select a campaign from the menu".
> 
> But all of this is material for upstream.

I agree that the game could be a lot more user friendly. However one
must understand what LGeneral always was, a game engine without free
data. I believe this is already well explained in README.lgeneral but I
did emphasize this in README.Debian too. For playing the original,
non-free, Panzer General campaign, the user has to take additional steps.

> What the Debian package could do is to make it easier for the Debian
> user. I think an "advanced" user will at least have a look at the
> README.Debian, and that's where you could give him/her the necessary
> hint. The same hint should also go into the manpage IMHO...

The Debian package already goes far beyond what upstream provides. You
can install lgeneral and you will also get additional free WWI scenarios
+ a very convenient way to install the original PG campaign by using
game-data-packager.

	game-data-packager lgeneral -w

I think the man page is fine because lgeneral really is only the engine.
I think a pop-up warning would be nice, if you click on the PG campaign
but didn't install the data prior to that. This is something for
upstream and I gladly forward patches to him.

If there are no further objections, I will fix this issue with the next
scheduled upload of LGeneral.

Regards,

Markus

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 949 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
URL: <http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/pkg-games-devel/attachments/20150103/d0454363/attachment.sig>