The faster players can make decisions, the better the game will be.

No. Explain things thoroughly so players have no doubt about a function or mechanic and can make informed decisions. 

Slashman wrote:

No. Explain things thoroughly so players have no doubt about a function or mechanic and can make informed decisions. 

This.  Brevity is good, but only to a point.

Do both.

Most people don't want to read long descriptions. The fewer number of words used to effectively describe things within the game, the more popular it will be.

Muckbuck wrote:

Most people don't want to read long descriptions. The fewer number of words used to effectively describe things within the game, the more popular it will be.

Sorry mate, but when you decide to play a 4x you should expect some complexity, instructions and descriptions are there to help you understand what is going on.

If instructions are thoroughly written, the better.

That is my opinion.

Muckbuck wrote:

Most people don't want to read long descriptions. The fewer number of words used to effectively describe things within the game, the more popular it will be.

Most?

I assume 4x players want explanation as detail as possible.

The solution is to use short description and longer tooltip.

Valmighty wrote:

Most?

I assume 4x players want explanation as detail as possible.

The solution is to use short description and longer tooltip.

If it is implemented a bit better than the way it works in Endless Space 2. I never quite got the hang of the compressed tooltip function for the times I wanted an expanded tooltip.

But for sure, long and detailed tooltips are almost always preferred if you ask me. It makes learning the game so much more intuitive, since you can quickly figure out what a particular ability or building does without having to dig through a lot of documentation. Learning concepts piecemeal like that is much better in my opinion. Do add the simplified tooltip option for more experienced players however, since you eventually only care about the yields and numbers, not the lore and narrative.