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How To Reduce The Grind And Create A Great New User Experience


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#21 Imagine Dragons

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 06:53 AM

Looks great OP.

#22 Pangorin

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:06 AM

Well, OP a very nice Post, but to be honest, alot of the stuff is already planned. Such as Tuturials, Statbased matchmaking (even if I doubt they can make it as they planned!), pregame lobby.
I like the idea of limited exp for trial Mechs or the Gxp for them. Good idea!!! The Trial Mechs will change, I think every 2 weeks, but I would suggest to have one Version of each Mech available all the time. New players could see what Mech would be the best for them.
And of course ... NEVER EVER ADD 3rd. PERSON VIEW!!!

But we all should keep in mind that this is a Open Beta, and it is realy a Beta! Let´s see what they will do within the next 2-3 month. Then we will be a big piece closer to the release!

#23 Taryys

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:09 AM

Agreed on all accounts!!

#24 myke

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:16 AM

Lessen the grinding (The days of grinding has long been dead,)
Add 3rd person view (your skins are useless if you can't even see them)
Divide the maps into houses. (a player can join which house he wants, he can opt to be a lonewolf)
Allow creation of clans per houses. (FOUNDERS are the only ones allowed to lead a clan)
everyone starts as a ronin until hired. (and yes they are paid during weekly raids from defending to attacking)
Map can be taken from other clans during week end raids. (create a siege map where players can fight in large number and will allow winning side to take control of a normal map for a week.)
Raid will run for the entire weekend or until one house has no players left to send and the last house who is fighting to control that map wins. Each house can send troops on any map that can be sieged.
The battle runs on realtime. players are send on an hourly basis on the battlefield using dropships. A player can only join a weekend battle ONCE a week. If he died in battle his dead for that week. Players can shutdown their mech in the bases and comeback on the siege when they logged in again. Shutdown mechs can be destroyed if enemy reaches the base.

A bonus CBill for the clan leader would be a plus to cover payment for hired ronin MW.
Create special weapons/Armors/mech variant/etc. for each houses.
Add color themes for clans, they can have uniform mech colors or banners.
The can leader can have a very nice and stand out look on the mech and should have bonuses on both armor and damage. Increase Roles and create mechs that is solely used for that purpose. Defense mechs.


I believe it will give a lot of fun for players, and will give the founders a reason to stay as they are the elites who can only host a clan.

#25 Taryys

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:18 AM

This is far beyond what I am posting about. My suggestions are on the core game only.
You are really touching on the Community Warfare aspect which is coming much further down the line and that not everyone will want to partake in.

You do have some interesting thoughts on that front, however.

#26 Darth JarJar

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:31 AM

I am von Bremerhaven and I approve of (most of) the OP's ideas.

GJ taryys, where DO you find the time to type all this up?!

#27 Taryys

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:34 AM

I do some at work on breaks. My mind is part XL300 and part human.

*sigh*

I cannot get that persistent engine whine out of my mind.

Oh, and added a section on robust text chat.

#28 Taryys

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:40 AM

In many ways I would like to see them concentrate on this stuff and bug/netcode fixes than new content.
I would rather see a slower addition of content with these things being added as a priority.

Edited by Taryys, 15 November 2012 - 07:41 AM.


#29 deputydog

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:41 AM

Text chat lobby
Week of premium time or change the trial mech penalty to be less.
Rotating trial mechs.
Integrated voice com in game for all..
Training ground

Free mc with 1 month premium time purchase. maybe 2000? new players only.

#30 Taryys

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:45 AM

My post covers most all of that except for your last point.
I am not sure how I feel about free MC, I would really have to see the numbers and costs.

Interesting thoughts though.


View Postdeputydog, on 15 November 2012 - 07:41 AM, said:

Text chat lobby
Week of premium time or change the trial mech penalty to be less.
Rotating trial mechs.
Integrated voice com in game for all..
Training ground

Free mc with 1 month premium time purchase. maybe 2000? new players only.


#31 BigJim

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:48 AM

I am Jimmeh and I too approve of (most of) these ideas.


1) Text Chat.
I used the hotkeys for "Affirmative" and "Negative", or "On it", etc.. in ET:QW frequently, and in games like UT I used my User.ini to bind teamsay commands to the F-Keys.

This is so, so easy to do it's unreal - You don't even need a sample audio-voice yet, it could be implemented in an afternoon, hell, I've never coded for CryEngine and I could implement it in an afternoon.

You don't need a fancy text-wheel for the first-pass, just hotkeys F-1 to F5, Yes/No/Push/Defend/etc..

A grid system (simple zoning of the maps, like you used to do when optimising BSP maps) could come later if you want and would still be easy since each grid is a square shape so you'd only need a collection of cuboid volumes, and then it can attach your grid when texting - but it'd be easy to do an early pass now, and get people used to the idea.


2) Free Premium Time;
Another great idea, but you could make it just 2x or 3x days, and still achieve the same result.
Premium time in a Trial mech isn't going to make the player likely to just grind on day-one and sit back on his winnings, you can't realistically earn enough, but since the earnings are so nicely spelled-out on the scoreboard, a new player has that "here's what you could've won" feeling, and is way more likely to use bought premium time at the earliest opportunity.

Edited by BigJim, 15 November 2012 - 07:50 AM.


#32 Taizan

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:50 AM

I really like the ideas presented and as much as I've understood some of the items on the "DO" list are being worked on, which is good. Free C-Bills are a very bad idea and the 3rd person thing well ... for me that heavily depends on how its implemented, if its just during a tutorial/training I'm fine with that.

The only thing that is a bit confusing to me is the connection to "Grinding", what do you mean by that? Grinding to get enough C-bills for your own mechs or grinding through the steep learning curve?

As a freeplayer I assure you there is 0 grinding for experience/mechs in this game (up till now). Most WoW players do more grinding to get their gear and factions on exalted than what a player needs to do here to get his own mech equipped and up to Elite status.

If its about grinding the learning curve, then your gathered suggestions look like a great counter to that.

#33 Taryys

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 07:57 AM

Yea, primarily spending time grinding out CBills in a trial mech in order to get to purchase their own mech.
This period is also when people are learning the game too.

They are both intertwined into the trial system and others which needs to be changed for a better play experience all around, and to hook people into the game.

The only other MMO I have played is SWTOR, but I have heard how harder other grinds are, so that I agree with only because I have heard of it. SWTOR was easy the first 15 levels went fast and then it slowed down quite a bit.

MWO does not have high levels of discreet leveling options. It is either trial mech or custom mech, and then gaining some passive bonuses, and that is really it, which is part of this genre and IP. There is not too much that can be done about that.



View PostTaizan, on 15 November 2012 - 07:50 AM, said:

The only thing that is a bit confusing to me is the connection to "Grinding", what do you mean by that? Grinding to get enough C-bills for your own mechs or grinding through the steep learning curve?

As a freeplayer I assure you there is 0 grinding for experience/mechs in this game (up till now). Most WoW players do more grinding to get their gear and factions on exalted than what a player needs to do here to get his own mech equipped and up to Elite status.

If its about grinding the learning curve, then your gathered suggestions look like a great counter to that.


#34 Broceratops

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:01 AM

I agree with your points but I think other than matchmaking, they are all 'nice to haves'. Matchmaking by itself will remove the greatest barrier to a new player, which is nobody likes getting stomped by premades in better mechs while they are still trying to figure out the controls.

If new players play other new players or just simply bad players, and they're winning half the time even if they are just bumbling around, then they'll keep playing the game. If they get stomped 20 matches in a row they'll much more likely just leave.

MWO should not have an EVE Online barrier to entry. It pretty much does right now, only unlike in EVE where you can blame 10 years of people grinding away, MWO is a new game.

#35 Joseph Mallan

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:02 AM

What the Hel is this? :P

Why are you people working together to find positive solutions to issues you have perceived? :lol:

It's like you want this game to good or something!!! :(
:o

Sarcasm off. I loved what I read here so far. This is (1st page) how a community is supposed to function! :wub:

#36 Taryys

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:06 AM

I do believe that match maker fixed and tutorial of the first line answers. The others are necessary for the game, but could wait longer.

View PostBroceratops, on 15 November 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

I agree with your points but I think other than matchmaking, they are all 'nice to haves'. Matchmaking by itself will remove the greatest barrier to a new player, which is nobody likes getting stomped by premades in better mechs while they are still trying to figure out the controls.

...





The XL 300 in my head made me do it. :o
Promise!! :P



View PostJoseph Mallan, on 15 November 2012 - 08:02 AM, said:

What the Hel is this? :lol:

Why are you people working together to find positive solutions to issues you have perceived? :(

It's like you want this game to good or something!!! :wub:
:o

Sarcasm off. I loved what I read here so far. This is (1st page) how a community is supposed to function! :wub:


#37 buckX

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:08 AM

View PostMrPenguin, on 14 November 2012 - 01:42 PM, said:

Oh, I like this idea!
But instead of calling it premium, we could call it rookie bonus or something :lol:

Beginner's luck. :P

#38 Taryys

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:14 AM

The only problem with renaming it is that there would be an explicit disassociation from Premium time, which would partly defeat some of the purpose of doing this. The two aims would be to give the new player a little boost and to get them hooked on premium time.

#39 Edustaja

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:20 AM

I'm liking this post.

#40 Chet Manley

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:24 AM

Quote

... add a Robust Tutorial and Practice Arena: The real answer and the most important thing that this game needs for newbies is a robust client side tutorial and a practice area. Here they can learn how to pilot through the tutorial process and then take their trial mechs out for a spin to get used to it. You will want to throw carrots and achievements in this process too. You could even throw the 3rd person here in the tutorial so that people can use it to get acclimated to mechs.


This. With listed corrections. :P

Edited by Chet Manley, 15 November 2012 - 08:25 AM.






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