Forums » Suggestions
New tutorials
Okay, this is a long standing criticism of the current tutorial and early mission system. All better than nothing, but can definitely stand improvement.
a) Long tutorials are bad. They require attention, break with how players interact (they cannot explore, resume or skip steps, they feel caught)
+a: suggestion, Shorten the tutorial down, make them into multi-step one.
b) Encourage exploring. Currently, users are left with very little reason to explore the universe. Few discover things like that you can talk to the marshal, why? Because they aren't informed that they can interact with things other than in the station.
+b: Make the first tutorial challenge/response. Something like "Talk to a station guard to see your next assignment"
c) There are too few tutorials, and the main one is too complex.
c+: Add more tutorials, Achievable by said interaction. This might mean to add a low level drone that runs around being "helper" around stations, that you can talk to and get aid by things.
Suggested ones:
Grouping. Talk to the bot, he invites you to a group, tells you how to join it. When successful, gives you a few credits and leaves the group.
Duelling: The bot challenges every level 1 combat pilot with a message, ask them for a fight in an empty sector. Then tracks the pilot there, tells them how to challenge for a duel, and fights. The bot is scarcely more difficult than a DenTek collector, and dies easily, leaving a sense of slight accomplishment.
Mining: A bot tells you how to mine, where to get the mining beams and how to equip them. Then invites you to a group and shows you to a nearby, cool, asteroid. When the asteroid increases beyond 20K, it tells you about the temperature and how things will go slower.
Combat: Combat missions for Beginners should suggest a few viable sectors. For a player with less than 10 kills, it should suggest an Orun only sector. More than that, and it can suggest a mixed sector of orun/kannik.
This goes on until they reach a level where they fight Artemis collectors, At this point they can get a bonus from the -marshal- by asking him about nearby battlegrounds.
d) players aren't capable of thinking freely.
d+: this is mostly because they aren't used to trying to explore. Exploration includes things such as hailing bots and other likely things. Suggested "perks" for actual exploration can be very simple things.
: The talking bot I mentioned earlier shows that its possible.
: when a player talks to a station guard, they give you a hint to talk to the marshal, if you are below level 1. Above that, you get a random hint, such as from the Loading screen.
: Random missions. Hailing an NPC trader of your own nation could give you the possibility to "help out". He drops -part- of the cargo, and asks you to keep him company to a station nearby. You get a _small_ reward.
: Trade tutorial. Talking to a NPC trader should give you the possibility to get the Trading tutorial. This tutorial talks about "free form" trading, not about missions. informing about the supply/demand architecture, what gives money and not, and suggests a cargo to/from somewhere. This cargo is preferrably an ore , giving a very low bonus, but encourages exploration again.
a) Long tutorials are bad. They require attention, break with how players interact (they cannot explore, resume or skip steps, they feel caught)
+a: suggestion, Shorten the tutorial down, make them into multi-step one.
b) Encourage exploring. Currently, users are left with very little reason to explore the universe. Few discover things like that you can talk to the marshal, why? Because they aren't informed that they can interact with things other than in the station.
+b: Make the first tutorial challenge/response. Something like "Talk to a station guard to see your next assignment"
c) There are too few tutorials, and the main one is too complex.
c+: Add more tutorials, Achievable by said interaction. This might mean to add a low level drone that runs around being "helper" around stations, that you can talk to and get aid by things.
Suggested ones:
Grouping. Talk to the bot, he invites you to a group, tells you how to join it. When successful, gives you a few credits and leaves the group.
Duelling: The bot challenges every level 1 combat pilot with a message, ask them for a fight in an empty sector. Then tracks the pilot there, tells them how to challenge for a duel, and fights. The bot is scarcely more difficult than a DenTek collector, and dies easily, leaving a sense of slight accomplishment.
Mining: A bot tells you how to mine, where to get the mining beams and how to equip them. Then invites you to a group and shows you to a nearby, cool, asteroid. When the asteroid increases beyond 20K, it tells you about the temperature and how things will go slower.
Combat: Combat missions for Beginners should suggest a few viable sectors. For a player with less than 10 kills, it should suggest an Orun only sector. More than that, and it can suggest a mixed sector of orun/kannik.
This goes on until they reach a level where they fight Artemis collectors, At this point they can get a bonus from the -marshal- by asking him about nearby battlegrounds.
d) players aren't capable of thinking freely.
d+: this is mostly because they aren't used to trying to explore. Exploration includes things such as hailing bots and other likely things. Suggested "perks" for actual exploration can be very simple things.
: The talking bot I mentioned earlier shows that its possible.
: when a player talks to a station guard, they give you a hint to talk to the marshal, if you are below level 1. Above that, you get a random hint, such as from the Loading screen.
: Random missions. Hailing an NPC trader of your own nation could give you the possibility to "help out". He drops -part- of the cargo, and asks you to keep him company to a station nearby. You get a _small_ reward.
: Trade tutorial. Talking to a NPC trader should give you the possibility to get the Trading tutorial. This tutorial talks about "free form" trading, not about missions. informing about the supply/demand architecture, what gives money and not, and suggests a cargo to/from somewhere. This cargo is preferrably an ore , giving a very low bonus, but encourages exploration again.
Re: Spider
Excellent suggestions.
In particular, I like the ones about interactive bots/NPC traders. This reminds me of the interactive NPC characters in "Final Fantasy® XI Online" ( see http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml ), who offer advice in the form of dialogs to players who speak to them, occasionally even offering hidden missions to retrieve items from territories outside of town.
It would be very interesting to have different NPC traders from different nations/territories offer hidden nation/territory-specific mini-missions that occasionally changed over time. For example, one UIT NPC trader could reply, "Greetings! I'm just carrying Consumer Electronics from Aroan Executive to Armand's Reward. Would you be interested in helping me out in exchange for a small reward (1=Yes, 2=No)?"
At this point, the player could choose to accept, or to decline. If the player accepted, the the NPC trader could respond, "Splendid! Aroan Executive is currently short on Premium Pentric Ore. If you can deliver 104 units (104 cu) (bulk) of Premium Pentric Ore to Aroan Executive (Dau L-11), we'll pay for the ore and give you 100,000 credits. If you deliver within 1 hr, 4 minutes, we'll also give you a bonus. Interested? (1=Yes, 2=No)"
The highest-paying trading missions should really be secret missions discovered in this manner. This would give an added incentive for parlaying with NPC traders.
Similarly, combat missions could be offered by, say, station bots. For example, a random station bot outside, say, Armand's Reward could say, "PirateHero killed a station bot here last week, and he's currently permanently KOS. If you kill him, I'll give you 1000000 credits and 50000 Combat Piloting experience points. Interested? (1=Yes, 2=No)"
Again, the player could either accept or decline.
Other secret missions, available only through dialog with NPC's, could also exist, further expanding the Vendetta® Online world in a new dimension.
-- DekuDekuplex Ornitier
Excellent suggestions.
In particular, I like the ones about interactive bots/NPC traders. This reminds me of the interactive NPC characters in "Final Fantasy® XI Online" ( see http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml ), who offer advice in the form of dialogs to players who speak to them, occasionally even offering hidden missions to retrieve items from territories outside of town.
It would be very interesting to have different NPC traders from different nations/territories offer hidden nation/territory-specific mini-missions that occasionally changed over time. For example, one UIT NPC trader could reply, "Greetings! I'm just carrying Consumer Electronics from Aroan Executive to Armand's Reward. Would you be interested in helping me out in exchange for a small reward (1=Yes, 2=No)?"
At this point, the player could choose to accept, or to decline. If the player accepted, the the NPC trader could respond, "Splendid! Aroan Executive is currently short on Premium Pentric Ore. If you can deliver 104 units (104 cu) (bulk) of Premium Pentric Ore to Aroan Executive (Dau L-11), we'll pay for the ore and give you 100,000 credits. If you deliver within 1 hr, 4 minutes, we'll also give you a bonus. Interested? (1=Yes, 2=No)"
The highest-paying trading missions should really be secret missions discovered in this manner. This would give an added incentive for parlaying with NPC traders.
Similarly, combat missions could be offered by, say, station bots. For example, a random station bot outside, say, Armand's Reward could say, "PirateHero killed a station bot here last week, and he's currently permanently KOS. If you kill him, I'll give you 1000000 credits and 50000 Combat Piloting experience points. Interested? (1=Yes, 2=No)"
Again, the player could either accept or decline.
Other secret missions, available only through dialog with NPC's, could also exist, further expanding the Vendetta® Online world in a new dimension.
-- DekuDekuplex Ornitier
wrong wrong wrong.
tutorials should be eliminated all together. they make the game too easy. we dont want just any idiot walking in here and playing. that is bad for the community. we are very intelligent mensa members and dont want any riff raff stinking up the place with dumb questions.
let them eat cake!
tutorials should be eliminated all together. they make the game too easy. we dont want just any idiot walking in here and playing. that is bad for the community. we are very intelligent mensa members and dont want any riff raff stinking up the place with dumb questions.
let them eat cake!
...anyway
There are actually more tutorials in development, though I can't say that I've seen any with a helper bot involved so far. Your suggestions are good ones.
There are actually more tutorials in development, though I can't say that I've seen any with a helper bot involved so far. Your suggestions are good ones.
Wow FM, you seem to be hot on the trail right before me today. Anyway...
1. I won't repeat my full statement about not discriminating noobs because they bring food to the dinner table.
2. I didn't really care to read the whole argument, but on the lines of being quick and low wait, tutorials should be short, one goal, and easily done. Like one for mining, for trading (free trade!), tour of the station (interface), navigation, communication equipment (how to work chat), etc. and the starting one to get you to the missions tab to find these tutorials. I'm sure I repeated stuff, but eh. Also, some filler material as to the player being a fresh pilot, explaining why they need to be taught all this stuff.
1. I won't repeat my full statement about not discriminating noobs because they bring food to the dinner table.
2. I didn't really care to read the whole argument, but on the lines of being quick and low wait, tutorials should be short, one goal, and easily done. Like one for mining, for trading (free trade!), tour of the station (interface), navigation, communication equipment (how to work chat), etc. and the starting one to get you to the missions tab to find these tutorials. I'm sure I repeated stuff, but eh. Also, some filler material as to the player being a fresh pilot, explaining why they need to be taught all this stuff.