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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0005459Valley 1Balance IssueJan 25, 2012 2:52 pm
ReporterBluddy Assigned ToChris_McElligottPark  
Severityminor 
Status closedResolutionno change required 
Summary0005459: Missing Ride The Lightning when skipping tutorial causes starting issues
DescriptionI started a new world and skipped the tutorial, since I already know how to play the game. Last time I played the tutorial, it seems you get the RtL spell that way. Without the tutorial though, you don't get it. You also don't get any information about how to get it -- not in the reference nor in the crafting interface. I'm also not told where to get platforms, though I assume they'll be in some houses from previous game knowledge.

Anyway, trying to do missions, I get stuck in rooms that were designed for RtL. I'm all for not having RtL -- I think having that limitation is awesome. But it's a problem when main game content requires having it, and there's no clue how to proceed to find it or platforms.
TagsNo tags attached.
Internal WeightNew

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tigersfan

Jan 25, 2012 8:46 am

reporter   ~0018071

I think it was removed from the tutorial. Either way, you get a ton of platforms from the tutorial mission, for new players. More experienced players who want to skip it will find them liberally seeded in buildings.

Ixiohm

Jan 25, 2012 9:07 am

reporter   ~0018073

I think so too. Anyway, you couldn't use it even if you got it, because it isn't a unlocked spell from the beginning on the continent.

Bluddy

Jan 25, 2012 9:08 am

reporter   ~0018074

Fair enough. It took me quite a few buildings to find platforms, but I did eventually, and it was cool searching for them.

Chris_McElligottPark

Jan 25, 2012 9:34 am

administrator   ~0018077

I'm marking this one as no change required... for now. Josh pretty much made all my points -- it's no longer part of the intro mission, and hopefully any new players are doing the intro mission and thus getting platforms that way.

I'm partly wondering if I should put a coffer with like 20 wood platforms in the settlements, but that seems a little coddling-y for some reason to me. I could probably be persuaded if someone feels strongly about it, though. ;)

Bluddy

Jan 25, 2012 12:11 pm

reporter   ~0018100

I'm going to completely reverse my original position and say that you definitely shouldn't put that coffer with 20 platforms. Searching for those wooden platforms was a great experience. The key was that
a. It wasn't a sure thing that I'd find it in any particular house. This really promoted exploration, as I really wanted to find it, but the rarity was good enough that it wasn't trivial. I also came across fun combat situations this way, and there were enough other goodies to reward me for my effort even though it took me a while to find what I wanted.
b. I had another option available, which was finding the ingredients for the RtL spell. It would have been more difficult, but it was an option. This made it feel like it wasn't a chore -- it was a choice I was making.

This experience suggests to me a good way to gate the player without using the levels. Limit the selection of first spells randomly even more than the current selection. Ideally, some elements would be missing. This first selection would determine which areas the player can handle based on the enemies and their resistances. The player then has to figure out a strategy of how to expand to levels where there are enemies he currently cannot fight well. The trick here is that regions must contain the ingredients for spells against enemies in other regions.

Chris_McElligottPark

Jan 25, 2012 2:52 pm

administrator   ~0018114

Very cool.

The only challenge with gating the initial spells further would mean that some bosses (which have randomly-genned stats) could then be completely unbeatable, but you wouldn't be able to tell those in advance. My stance has been that I want the players to have some spells of every color available from the start, but how they build up from that baseline will vary. For now that's what I'm aiming for anyhow, and I'm reluctant to change that while so many other things are still being implemented -- it seems to have a high risk of stalemate situations.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Jan 25, 2012 8:35 am Bluddy New Issue
Jan 25, 2012 8:46 am tigersfan Note Added: 0018071
Jan 25, 2012 9:07 am Ixiohm Note Added: 0018073
Jan 25, 2012 9:08 am Bluddy Note Added: 0018074
Jan 25, 2012 9:34 am Chris_McElligottPark Internal Weight => New
Jan 25, 2012 9:34 am Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0018077
Jan 25, 2012 9:34 am Chris_McElligottPark Status new => closed
Jan 25, 2012 9:34 am Chris_McElligottPark Assigned To => Chris_McElligottPark
Jan 25, 2012 9:34 am Chris_McElligottPark Resolution open => no change required
Jan 25, 2012 12:11 pm Bluddy Note Added: 0018100
Jan 25, 2012 2:52 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0018114
Apr 14, 2014 9:29 am Chris_McElligottPark Category Gameplay - Balance Issue => Balance Issue