8 replies to this topic

[Taryys]

So here are my ideas for a Robust Tutorial. A lot of this is wishful thinking, and, in some cases overkill, and is almost like creating a new game programmatically speaking, but will drastically improve the new player experience. This post has spawned as a baby post from my itinerant post How To Reduce The Grind And Create A Great New User Experience. If for some reason you have not encountered my thread-whoring of this post, please check it out. I will quote this post later on so you know will understand the basic context.

Here is also the link to the related post which also spawned from that post as well: Ideas for a Practice Arena (coming soon).



First, some random notes:

Use Existing Resources: We already have like 4 maps or so plus their variations, and these can be used for the tutorials, so no new maps need to be made. We already have the mechs and weapons, etc , so nothing new will be needed there. They can use also script much of this via the chat system and the command functionality to relay information and guide them what to do, especially once the chat and command systems are redone and more robust.

New Resources: Mostly we will need cut scenes, static scenes, or additional message based HUD overlays with some voice acting done. Preferably one voice actor for each house, and one for merc corps, and lone wolves to add to the immersion. They could even use the same voice actor and just use a slightly different script with flavor that immerses the player in the faction thoughts, history. They could also throw in an ISN radio playing in the background with the actor commenting on it or hrumphing about it.

We will also possibly need scripted mechs or a basic AI depending on the tutorial. Many times a state opponent will be ok. Sometimes just have a mech or 3 running around in pre scripted fashion will work too.


Tutorials

I am going to first quote the directly relevant text from what I have listed in my post How To Reduce The Grind And Create A Great New User Experience, so you know where I am coming from. Just keep this following excerpt in mind as I go along here, but also realize that these ideas have morphed a little in the process of putting my ideas down in a more thorough post.

Quote

DO ... add a Robust Tutorial: The real answer and the most important thing that this game needs for newbies is a robust client side tutorial. Here they can learn how to pilot through the tutorial process and then take trial mechs out for a spin to get used to it. They can learn general piloting skills, the different mech roles and classes, and some of the mechwarrior universe and flavor. 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.


Teach a pilot to fish and all of that...


DO... give 1 week of Premium Time: Give them 1 free week of premium time following completion of the tutorial. This way they will get used to the extra money as well as give them a monetary boost allowing them to get into a mech of their own sooner. This will also get them hooked on Premium time like a drug = more money for you!

There should be 3 sets of tutorials that people can work through. This will also help make sure that new pilots and new people to the BT/MW franchise really understand the ins and outs of the game, and result in less qq/rage quits, and forum questions. Let us empower the new player to learn and master the game on their own and reward them for doing so.

• Mech Skill Tutorials
  
• Mech Tactics Tutorials
  
• Mech Lab and Equipment Tutorials

The Skills and Tactics tutorials can be broken down into 2: basic and advanced that way people can get through the basics so they have the idea on how to play and then can come back for more info.

Completion Rewards

Basic Rewards: The first time any of the individual tutorials from the first two sets are completed they could possibly grant a modest CBill and General XP reward to help motivate people to go through it as well as to keep adding a carrot to keep them moving forward, and not feel like they may be wasting their time. They are investing their time to learn the game and becoming better pilots, so why not reward them. We would not want to reward variant specific XP since that may have them desire to concentrate on one chassis to the exclusion of others during the learning process, and be annoyed at learning different chassis and different roles.

Mech: Alternatively, instead of, or in addition to a straight monetary reward, perhaps, if they finish the one tutorial series they will have enough corp credit to afford a light or medium mech of their choice, and then if they ALSO finish the second series then they may have earned credit enough to afford a mech of their choice, since, by then, they should really have a handle on things, and have a great idea which mech they would like to start with. This will also provide a great incentive for them to finish the tutorial series and make sure that they have a good handle on the game. Although, they can only obtain one mech this way. Perhaps this could be implemented as an unlockable achievement.

I am thinking that perhaps this mech should not be sellable and come with its own mechbay, and perhaps with a special tutorial award pattern, that people can change all 3 colors for. This would be neat, but not necessary, and would be interesting to see which mechs people chose from the tutroial and how much they stick with it, or perhaps a special pattern can be unlocked that can only be used for that variants from that chassis family.

This option will give people a constructive way towards getting their first mech instead of slogging it out dying every match in a storm of frustration since they do not know what they do. They will be learning, investing themselves in the game and becoming better pilots. In any case their is no substitute for live matches.

Premium: Also give them an achievement in which they can activate a week of free premium if they complete BOTH tutorials.


Mech Skills Tutorials

Mech Skill Tutorials would concentrate on piloting and game play. These can be put together to be completed in a sequential fashion, and also allowed to perform them in any order in case they want to work on specific skills. There is much more than this, but these are some examples of the different tutorial sections, specific tutorials, or skills to cover:

• Basic Piloting
  
  • HUD
    
  • accelerate and decelerate
    
  • turning
    
  • general targeting
    
  • jump jet usage
    
  • minimap
    
  • zooming

• Social and Communication
  
  • using text chat
    
  • bb
    
  • basic tactical speak
    
  • voice chat

• Basic Command
  
  • battlemap
  • commands
  • basic tactical speak
    
  • basic tactics

• Advanced Piloting
  
  • torso twisting
    
  • heat management and chain firing
    
  • shadowing a slower mech
    
  • twisting to reduce or spread damage
    
  • aiming for hit locations and their affects

Mech Tactics Tutorials


The basic Mech Tactics tutorials would constitute of at least 5 missions for each weight class during which the user could use a different chassis ( or a specific one if it is called for) for each mission, and the mission which would concentrate on a specific aspect of the mech class or their associated roles. These can be put together to be completed in a sequential fashion, and also allowed to perform them in any order in case they would want to work on specific skills. The advanced tutorials would cover more specific or advanced skills.

• Lights
  
  • scouting and detection range, "R"
    
  • spotting
    
  • harassing
    
  • ECM
    
  • TAG
    
  • Narc
    
  • etc

• Mediums
  
  • support and protect heavier mechs
  • faster than heavier mechs
  • versatility
    
  • protecting heavier mechs
    
  • light squashing
    
  • Etc

• Heavies and Assaults
  
  • need a buddy to protect them
  • can more heavily specialized roles (LRM Cat, Long Range support, brawling)

• Advanced Command
  
  • advanced battlemap
  • advanced commands
  • advanced lance tactics
    
    • pincher
    • flanking

Mechlab and Equipment Tutorials


These would not necessarily be something that a new player would be required to go through sequentially, but could go through if they wanted to know more about the ins and outs of the mechlab, of specific weapons and systems.

• How to use the mechlab
  
• XL engines
  
• Heat sinks
  
• LRMs,
  
• Projectiles (ACs/PPC)
  
• ECM
  
• Streaks
  
• Lazors
  
• EW Suits (BAP/ECM)
  
• Modules

Edited by Taryys, 07 December 2012 - 10:16 AM.

[p4r4g0n]

It will be interesting to see how PGI's new user flow changes compare to this.

Good job with your persistence in seeking input and compiling this.

[Taryys]

Thanks!

Yea I am looking forward to see it too.

[Karenai]

Way to complicated.
There should be no credits or xp gained from any kind of tutorial. The track record of MWO would sugest some kind of abuse to gain money and xp afk if it did.

If you show everything to new players they will be overwhelmed.

There is absolutly no need to show "tactics" because they change. I still see people shouting out tactics from before Artemis IV, which do nothing good anymore.

A simple "this is your mech" tutorial would suffice. Not even like the MW2 tutorial, but the X-Wing or TIE-Fighter tutorial.
You start out in a light mech, with no controll over it.
This is our UI, yada yada yada. Explain what is what.
Then the mech shuts down and you have to start it with "power up".
First you can only move your torso, but not you mech.
Then you have to shoot some stationary targets to your left and your right.
"You can use thermal vision to find them".
Then new targets which your torso cannot reach, but your arms can.
After that is done, you gain the ability to move. And have to kill some targets behind some cover. So you have to move around the cover.
You shoot the new targets.
During all that, if you overheat, which you should if you are shooting all the time. It tells you about heat and heatsinks.
After those targets you have to destroy some targets to which the fastest way would be to jump jet somewhere.
Let the player use the jump jets at least once and leave it to him or her how to destroy those new targets.

Tutorial over.

You covered, the UI, aquiring targets, shooting them, difference between torso and arms, shutting down and powering up, heat management, movement, jump jets and cover. This is plenty for any new player. If you go much further it will be overwhelming.
And you do not have to implement any bots to fight you. Just some simple scripting.

[p4r4g0n]

Personally, I regard the Tactics Tutorials as a means to shorten the grind towards getting that first owned mech. It should not replace it entirely as it is a fact that nothing can actually substitute for actual (MWO) combat experience.

Also, having some of these tutorials as optional ones provides new players the option of doing something more constructive than dropping in 30-50 battles and learning very little, just to own that first mech. If they want to ignore the optional tutorials and just grind cos they enjoy that more or think they can learn more from it, that's their choice.

Edit: Typo

Edited by p4r4g0n, 07 December 2012 - 11:19 AM.

[Taryys]

I did state that this may be overkill.

With what I have stated Farming would be impossible because if they were AFK they would not complete the tutorial objectives. I also state that if CBill/XP rewards are given then is should be granted only the first time they go through it the individual section.

These tutorials are things that they do not have to do and they can chose to forgo it and come back to it later, but could go through sequentially if they like. They could be separated into basic and advanced for each section, that way the basic tutorial would only cover the basic and if they wanted more advanced or in depth work they could do that too. Hmmmm... I think I will add that into my post...

I see what you are saying about tactics, but here I am looking at really basic tactics. I am kind of iffy on the tactics point, but having it in there cannot hurt for some consideration and to spark peoples' imaginations at what may be possible.

What I am writing here is not something that will suffice. We have a video that "suffices". My ideas were shooting for something a little more grandiose than "suffice".

Thanks for the feedback.

Agreed!

That is a good way of thinking of it. I had not considered it this way.

p4r4g0n, on 07 December 2012 - 10:07 AM, said:

Personally, I regard the Tactics Tutorial as a means to shorten the grind towards getting that first owned mech. It should not replace it entirely as it is a fact that nothing can actually substitute for actual (MWO) combat experience.

Also, having some of these tutorials as optional ones provides new players the option of doing something more constructive than dropping in 30-50 battles and learning very little, just to own that first mech. If they want to ignore the optional tutorials and just grinds cos they enjoy that more or think they can learn more from it, that's their choice.

[Team Leader]

Figure this thread could use a little more light. Bumping! Good ideas, as usual Taryys

[Taryys]

Thanks man!!

Team Leader, on 10 December 2012 - 04:00 PM, said:

Figure this thread could use a little more light. Bumping! Good ideas, as usual Taryys

[soarra]

I lik it. Wouldn't mind a money reward for completing it once for new players. A million or so to help them get into their first mech.