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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0006340Valley 1Suggestion - Balancing IssuesApr 11, 2012 8:57 pm
ReporterJedTheHumanoid Assigned Tokeith.lamothe  
Status resolvedResolutionfixed 
Product Version0.900 (Beta Series 3) 
Summary0006340: New Player Experience Problems
DescriptionHi, I played the beta back in October quite extensively, however coming back as a ‘new’ player I think the following issues might detract from the new player experience, and hence reduce the word of mouth viral spread of the game.
That thought makes me sad, as I love this game, so below is a brief explanation of what I think is lacking.


1) Choosing your character at the beginning of the game.

This is one of the most confusing aspects in my opinion. When a new player starts the game and chooses their ‘World’ name, the next they have to do is choose a ‘character’.
I think there should be text on the ‘Character Selection’ which clearly states that: a) /You/ are not your character, b) If your character dies you will ‘choose’ another one, c) You can choose to play as a different character as the game progresses. Maybe something along the lines of: “Please choose a survivor of Catastrophe to begin the game. As the game progresses you will be able to use different characters as they join your civilization. If you get your character killed you will have to start a new character, however you will not lose your Civilization Progress.”
 
2. Intro Mission
 
First off, some on screen text setting the scene would be nice, maybe a dialog box pop up from an unseen Iliari saying something like:
‘Wake up human, you are alive. The world is a hostile place, you must learn to survive. There is small settlement nearby where humans are Iliari enjoy relative safety, please make your way there. However, there is much to learn, take your time exploring this region and collect anything you can, all resources are precious.
I think the intro mission itself is pretty much fine as it is, however the problems appear at the end. After going through the terror and hardship, a little bit of ‘pomp and ceremony’ from the NPC at the settlement would set the scene nicely. Maybe something like, “Welcome to the settlement, I’m impressed you survived on your own out there.” etc.
Also, it would convenient if the Iliari in the settlement revealed itself as the one who ‘called’ to you at the beginning of the tutorial (nice tie up of atmosphere) and said something like:
“I am glad you survived human. As you have seen, the world – or what’s left of it – is a very dangerous place. The world beyond the horizon is more terrifying than you can imagine, we must work individually and collectively to build a new civilisation if we are to survive. You are blessed to be a Glyph Bearer (brief explanation). There are survivors to be found and rare materials to be discovered in the world. Refer to the encyclopaedia if you unsure of anything. Good luck.”

This would ease the player in and make them feel centered, before moving out into the World Map screen to begin their journey.
TagsNo tags attached.
Internal WeightFor New Player Experience

Activities

tigersfan

Mar 2, 2012 2:40 pm

reporter   ~0020180

0000001 Definitely makes sense.

keith.lamothe

Apr 11, 2012 8:56 pm

administrator   ~0021945

For 0.926:

* Added a message to the character-select screen to tell players that dying is expected.


On the second main point, a bit ago we added a popup message when you first enter the settlement. We considered an initial popup after spawning but decided against it.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Mar 2, 2012 2:36 pm JedTheHumanoid New Issue
Mar 2, 2012 2:40 pm tigersfan Internal Weight => For New Player Experience
Mar 2, 2012 2:40 pm tigersfan Note Added: 0020180
Mar 2, 2012 2:40 pm tigersfan Status new => strongly considering
Apr 11, 2012 8:56 pm keith.lamothe Note Added: 0021945
Apr 11, 2012 8:56 pm keith.lamothe Status strongly considering => resolved
Apr 11, 2012 8:56 pm keith.lamothe Resolution open => fixed
Apr 11, 2012 8:56 pm keith.lamothe Assigned To => keith.lamothe