The idea shows promise. Here's some feedback on the prototype (coming from someone who enjoys games like Civ), mostly regarding the UI and UX:
- A lot of the UI interactions had me click on small toggles and buttons. For example, when I had to select a manager I had to click on a small toggle option; I would like to just click anywhere on the messenger's UI element to select them. Try to remove unnecessary empty space and make the interactive buttons larger.
- I should be able to click-and-drag to pan the map, and the scroll-wheel should be able to zoom in and out.
- I didn't like how a window appeared in the middle of the screen when clicking on tiles, the tax centre, etc. It blocked the center view and prevented me from clicking on other tiles. It was made worse by not being able to close the window by clicking outside of it; I had to click the small "Close Window" button at the top. I think having a semi-permanent "interaction panel" in the corner or on the sidebar (like Civilization) that updates its content when I click on something would work better here.
- Definitely add more user feedback in response to actions. The biggest one is the messengers; I would like to pull up a list of messengers and see their status at a glance (i.e. check their availability, view their stats). I would also like some kind of notification when a messenger returns. Instant feedback should also be there when clicking on actions like "Establish Settlement".
I know that's a long write-up, but I think these changes will go a long way to make the prototype feel more responsive and fun. The core idea of sending messengers to enact your strategies sounds like it could be really fun once it's more fleshed out, so I'm looking forward to see what you can do with this!