Topic: [Concept] Rookie Checklist

Hello fellas. I had an idea on how to improve rookie 'first impressions/experience' as well as teach the tutorial parts of the game, and interweave comprehension of the mechanics all in one grouped solution.

When people start, give them a checklist.

Sure, add flashy bits to it (back story, broken up sections, etc.) but have every part of the game that people need to learn made available on the checklist. Things I was considering being on the checklist:

□ Geoscan a tile.
□ Mine any quantity of any material.
□ Shoot an NPC
□ Kill an NPC
□ Activate a repair module
□ Accept / complete an assignment
□ Buy an item from the market / Sell (advanced?)
□ Join a new chat window
□ Send a mail in-game
□ Travel to a different island than the one you started on.
□ Walk a total of 5,000 meters.
□ Take a screenshot
□ Spend EP on basic robot control
□ Spend EP on reactor control/data processing
□
□
□ (Think of ideas and post them, I'll edit them into this!)
□
□

M2S response in advance: □ Kill another player

With such a scenario, they would have a list to keep track of things they know how to do, or things they haven't learned yet. They could go back at any time and review some of the things they have learned.

EXTRA CREDIT: Create a camera program in the app. that takes a little screenshot of their bot performing an action when it is achieved. That way, when they go back to review, they can see a small picture of where they were when they did something. Jogging their memory, and making the experience personal.

Not only would this give players that feel lost without a linear game experience something to hold on to, it would open them up to ideas of free thinking and open-world gameplay. I have known people that stay away from MMO's just because they prefer to have a structured experience that requires less thought. This would certainly take out some of the homework of 'what does this module do' and the inevitable 'scan everything on the market to learn what is what' phase that most players go through.

Thoughts?

P.S. Perhaps placing checklist items in groups based on difficulty from character creation forward. And rewarding them when completing a group. As an idea of such a reward... EP? Before the OMG BALANCE FLAME attack, everyone could always do this... it just promotes people doing the 'tutorial' instead of ragequitting it because they think they don't need it, then inevitably asking 500 questions in Help! later.

<Kwitch> I tried to RE Epriton. The game lol'd @ me.
<Siddy> i hope your brains go enouhght processing poweres to realise the problem
<Socrates> ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα / "The only real wisdom is knowing you know nothing"

Re: [Concept] Rookie Checklist

I like the idea but this sounds like the beginnings of an achievement system.
Not sure I want that just yet..

Expert Achievement:
"□ Kill 10 Players while walking backward in a robot will smaller surface area than them while your accumulator is less than 50%"

Re: [Concept] Rookie Checklist

Kwitch wrote:

Hello fellas. I had an idea on how to improve rookie 'first impressions/experience' as well as teach the tutorial parts of the game, and interweave comprehension of the mechanics all in one grouped solution.

When people start, give them a checklist.

Sure, add flashy bits to it (back story, broken up sections, etc.) but have every part of the game that people need to learn made available on the checklist. Things I was considering being on the checklist:

□ Geoscan a tile.
□ Mine any quantity of any material.
□ Shoot an NPC
□ Kill an NPC
□ Activate a repair module
□ Accept / complete an assignment
□ Buy an item from the market / Sell (advanced?)
□ Join a new chat window
□ Send a mail in-game
□ Travel to a different island than the one you started on.
□ Walk a total of 5,000 meters.
□ Take a screenshot
□ Spend EP on basic robot control
□ Spend EP on reactor control/data processing
□
□
□ (Think of ideas and post them, I'll edit them into this!)
□
□

M2S response in advance: □ Kill another player

With such a scenario, they would have a list to keep track of things they know how to do, or things they haven't learned yet. They could go back at any time and review some of the things they have learned.

EXTRA CREDIT: Create a camera program in the app. that takes a little screenshot of their bot performing an action when it is achieved. That way, when they go back to review, they can see a small picture of where they were when they did something. Jogging their memory, and making the experience personal.

Not only would this give players that feel lost without a linear game experience something to hold on to, it would open them up to ideas of free thinking and open-world gameplay. I have known people that stay away from MMO's just because they prefer to have a structured experience that requires less thought. This would certainly take out some of the homework of 'what does this module do' and the inevitable 'scan everything on the market to learn what is what' phase that most players go through.

Thoughts?

P.S. Perhaps placing checklist items in groups based on difficulty from character creation forward. And rewarding them when completing a group. As an idea of such a reward... EP? Before the OMG BALANCE FLAME attack, everyone could always do this... it just promotes people doing the 'tutorial' instead of ragequitting it because they think they don't need it, then inevitably asking 500 questions in Help! later.

I would rather like to ask you if you are serious about this? If yes then i don´t support this idea. I refuse it strongly. The tutorial should teach the lowest possible base-mechanics like camera and ui-control. Its a sandbox game and its up to everyone to find it out by themselves. Creativity vs. guidance. That way unique player-experiences and actions are made.

Re: [Concept] Rookie Checklist

I half support this.... I think.

I like tutorials that teach you the games mechanics and what the game gives you to use at your own disposal, but not anything that guides you through tasks, like quests, which is what this sounds like.

Yes, people need to get a better explanation of things like the market, extensions, and teleporters, but specifically guiding them and requiring them to actually teleport to a new island to complete some check list doesnt appeal to me.

I guess if its only as a tutorial and a guideline to different concepts of the game, but doesnt actually give you any reward for doing such and is just as easily skipped as the current tutorial, sure.

Anything that helps teach people the game in an informative yet un-quest way is good in my eyes.  A lot of people leave the game because they dont know where to start and how to use the games tools.

NPC Build Reference Sheet.  Copy to your bio in-game! - Detailed NPC Knowledge Base

-Edited GM Dehrios

Re: [Concept] Rookie Checklist

'"LatscherX" wrote:

Its a sandbox game and its up to everyone to find it out by themselves.

I tend to believe that sandbox games work alot better once everyone understands the rudimentaries of the game. If you feel proud about beating someone that doesnt understand the fundamentals of the game, then thats depressing. Its well-known the current tutorial needs a-hulluva lot more polish and content. Let new people understand the basics of the game first, then push them out into the sandbox.

I, for one, would rather a well educated starting population that didnt have to heavily rely on the help channel.

My thoughts would be to also include "Harvest a plant." Although pretty much the same process as mining, sometimes the new player will overlook the fact that there are plants (I know I did). Informing the new player about universal charges and plants etc. Also, I read somewhere that it is profitable to leave 10 or so units on the plant so that it could grow back faster. If this is true, a line such as "...and if you want to continue harvesting this area, make sure you dont completely clear all the plants out!..." or something like that. Hints that help the new player understand mechanics, not always spoonfeeding.

Re: [Concept] Rookie Checklist

Kwitch wrote:

□ Read the game guide at http://www.perpetuum-online.com/Lexicon while downloading or before playing.
□ Geoscan a tile.
□ Mine any quantity of any material.
□ Shoot an NPC
□ Kill an NPC
□ Activate a repair module
□ Accept / complete an assignment
□ Buy an item from the market / Sell (advanced?)
□ Join a new chat window
□ Send a mail in-game
□ Travel to a different island than the one you started on.
□ Walk a total of 5,000 meters.
□ Take a screenshot
□ Spend EP on basic robot control
□ Spend EP on reactor control/data processing
□
□
□ (Think of ideas and post them, I'll edit them into this!)
□
□

Fixed the beginning of the checklist :P

I don't just embrace insanity. I feel it up, french kiss it and then buy it a drink.

Re: [Concept] Rookie Checklist

While I don't disagree that that is a good resource...

This concept was meant to take out 'reading' and in place of that, have activities.

We ourselves could just make a 'guide' that is several paragraphs long (in fact, many many have been written in guides threads) and point to it.

Getting people to actually do it is the thing.

<Kwitch> I tried to RE Epriton. The game lol'd @ me.
<Siddy> i hope your brains go enouhght processing poweres to realise the problem
<Socrates> ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα / "The only real wisdom is knowing you know nothing"