Adding challenges is unintuitive

Gratuitous Forum Support
1

After reading so much about challenges, I decided to try making one. I started by clicking the Challenges button on the main menu. From here, I was at a complete loss. I could find challenges, but I had no clue how to create a new one.

It was only by chance that, while setting up a deployment for a mission, I noticed the Challenge button. I wasn’t sure what this would even do: take me to find a challenge instead of the current mission? It was similar enough to Fight that I thought it might mean the same thing (“Challenge” the mission, essentially).

The process of creating a challenge doesn’t make sense to me. It seems strange to have to pick an arbitrary mission and set up a deployment against it, then save that deployment as a challenge. I also didn’t notice a way to limit the number of pilots or credits available in the challenge.

I think it would be better if instead, it went like this. From the main menu, go to Challenges, then there is a button that says Create a Challenge. This would bring you to the deployment screen, but you would be editing ships on the right instead of on the left (maybe not necessary). Instead of the button in the bottom right saying “Fight” it would say “Challenge”. This screen would also be a good place to have fields for the number of pilots and credits, but I think it would be sufficient if they were added to the dialog that comes up when you finish making the challenge.

2

Got to agree here. The Challenge button on the main menu should be the one stop shop for this stuff.

3

I’d also like to chime in here with an agreement. I was trying to create a one-ship challenge (mano-a-mano, as it were) but couldn’t figure out how to limit the number of pilots to one. Or is that even possible?

4

You can’t alter the pilot/credit amounts currently, they’re linked to the map you use for your challenge. You just have to pick the map that gives you the setup that’s closest to what you want. Personally, I’d be in favor of allowing custom pilot/credit amounts.

I also agree that the interface could be clearer. I like JamesCooper’s suggestion - a Create a Challenge option from within the main Challenges menu, with a dropdown or other suitable mechanism for selecting the map, and if possible fields for setting pilots and credits.