Help new players not die so much.

[Calista]

Any ideas?

[Crator]

I know it's shocking but Tayradactyl also posted this on the official forums: https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/...layers.198522/

[Calista]

Originally Posted by Crator

I know it's shocking but Tayradactyl also posted this on the official forums: https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/...layers.198522/

Thought it might be of benefit here but obviously I was wrong. Believe me I won't make the mistake of posting anything or visiting here again. So long.

[Crator]

Huh? I didn't mean to imply anything bad about it being posted here... Not sure where you got that. I was just saying it was shocking that the DEV posted it on the official forums too because everyone always reams the DEVS that they don't post on the official forums and instead do it on Reddit mostly....

[Illtempered]

Any game with a high learning-curve will most-likely involve lots of death in the beginning for a new player. In a sense, they just have to deal with it, and get better. The best way to deal with it is to join a good outfit.

I fear there's a whole generation of kids, gamers included, that don't like this idea. They want it to be easy from day one. Sorry kids. This isn't COD....err is it? I don't know anymore.

[Azzzz]

Sadly, I cant tell you how many BR 1's drop pod right in front of me and meet a swift end. To be fair, I always send'em a tell of Welcome to PS2, where you die a lot. Hang in there and you'll find yourself getting better in no time. Usually I get a thanks for my efforts

And then there's the ones that drop pod right in front of waiting zerg, my goodness the slaughter that ensues.

I personally think that until they get to say BR 5 or so, they shouldn't let them drop pod into a fight but instead spawn directly in a spawn room. That way they at least get their bearings first.

Maybe even a protective shield for the first 10 secs with restrictions.

[Fazed]

Tutorials like this WOULD help. I know this is "just" a capture the flag game, but some base designs really have to be explained and a tutorial for the more complicated ones might just be a step forward

[Rivenshield]

I still maintain that a simple downloadable user's guide (add that to the list of Things We Had A Decade Ago But Not Now) would shorten the learning curve by an order of magnitude. With a minimum of effort they could be made empire-specific -- a short section on WHO WE ARE and WHY WE FIGHT, along with a list of empire-specific weapons and vehicles and why they are so much better than anything Teh Enemy has.

Online documentation and tutorials suck. They break your workflow and make you ask the right questions and look in the right places. They break the two-click rule. They take up valuable time. They contribute to high turnover as people get confused and scared and worry about getting fired, so they leave (or POed and quit playing, in this instance). There is no substitute for something thin and floppy and profusely illustrated that you can pin up or lay to one side and refer to without breaking your work flow (or gameplay).

Truth in advertising: I'm a senior-level technical writer, so naturally I'd say all that stuff. But I have 18+ years' experience in IT to back me up, and I've written material for everybody from sysadmins to soccer moms working in call centers. I don't care how expert your target audience is -- you just plain do not release a major enterprise software package without at least a cheat sheet and quick reference guide. Jesus! Maybe I'll write them myself and post them somewhere. The vacuum cries out to be filled.