News: Instant Action: Pre Launch Concerns - Page 3

Dagron · 2012-10-30, 04:27 AM

I really loved the idea of a complex mission system, it'll be a shame if they don't work on that. But even if they decide not to, it'd be great if they at least used missions to get newbies used to the game instead of videos or popups telling people what is what (everyone just blows through those anyway, even if they get some bonus for watching they just hit play and go watch TV instead). All MMOs i played had some kind of introduction area (some instanced, some in the open world) where newbies got to learn all the basics, from "how do i open the map" to "how do i shoot/set on fire/stab someone with weapon/spell/ability XYZ" to why their faction hated the others.
I think there should be some kind of boot camp in the warpgate/sanctuary (wherever people first spawned) where they got to go through a quick story by following a small mission chain (maybe ending with a mission to join a squad of more experienced players and head out into the war). It'd help newbies get the hang of the interface, how to find action, etc and it would give them a few certs so they can start out with a couple of scopes or w/e they like.

Also, as long as we're on the subject, i really like the idea of outfits offering missions to people other than their members. It would be great if they could set up different categories other than just for candidates trying out for the outfit. For example i'd love it if there were outfit to outfit mission offers, be them just a "join us attacking the tech plant" or "attack any number of territories around the bio lab as we try to take it" or just "simultaneously fly our troops to territories A, B and C". That way a big outfit could help nudge their faction into the course of action they want and smaller outfits could get some extra XP while also getting a quick way to decide what to do next.

DirtyBird · 2012-10-30, 05:16 AM

Having played with a few new players it is so obvious they need something in game to help them get going.
I would have thought SOE would have already had this well thought out by now.
We need new players to make this game work, we have to have a large player base that will stick with the game for years to come.
Tutorials need to be part of the game, accessible in game and out. Not just some random links to youtube as the sole method for people to be taught the basics.

Even if they address this problem there will still be those that cbf learning via that method and just want to get into it and pick it up along the way.
So information to access the action needs to be accurate.
Perhaps even the Hotspots info is one of the first things that needs to be explained in game as well.
What does Low Activity, Base Infiltrated or Compromised etc actually mean.
Explain the key points at a base.
How do captures work.
If they die what are their spawn options.
And the way its been at some warp gates, who the bad guy is.

Maybe even reward people with some of cert points after completing missions or watching in game tutorials. Kinda like how an MMO might reward you with a free bag or something after doing those first story lines.

Hamma · 2012-10-30, 02:06 PM

Agreed it's a bit disheartening that all we know is coming is a simple tutorial system and some YouTube videos.

boogsugar · 2012-10-30, 04:12 PM

Hello

I just started in the beta 2 days ago. I consider myself fairly competent and a quick study. I can say that I am totally lost in PS2.

I have done a ton of reading and that is helping quite a lot. That is how I found this site. However, I am still fairly lost. It is very hard for me to understand whats going on when looking at the map and how to actually capture anything.

I am slowly figuring it out because I want to love this game. But most of new players are not going to put that in kind of effort. They are going to log in, run around for an hour, quit, and then go flame the game on w/e forum they use.

The game is then going to have bad word of mouth, people wont give it a shot who would have and things spiral downward. That is my fear.

Anyway, just some feedback from a noob who never played PS1 who just started playing.

Rago · 2012-10-30, 04:56 PM

Yeah they really should do something, not as extreme as it was in Bulletstorm for Example, but still,

How about a Ingame Help system that can be turned on and off ?
Should not be to hard to realize.

Babyfark McGeez · 2012-10-30, 05:05 PM

I gotta say i really liked the way PS1 helped and rewarded new players.
You were awarded xp for checking new things out, so when i was new back in...god knows when that was...i just tried out everything that was interactive.
Yes, i only did it because i wanted the xp, BUT at the same time i also learned alot about the things in the game.
A similar system would do wonders here. Who would want to watch a bunch of videos? Reward new people for learning the mechanics and tools.

Rolfski · 2012-11-01, 12:02 PM

LevelCap gaming just released his thoughts on beta as well, which are in similar line as Hamma's: More focus is needed on improving casual play as casual play and outfit play can go along very well with each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG6sxdeWYtE

Graywolves · 2012-11-01, 03:50 PM

They should have like a nanite systems training simulator pre-character creation for new accounts. Of course make it skippable but just have something so new players can figure out how to use the map and get to battles.

Just figuring out where to go and how to get there is probably the biggest thing. If I knew absolutely nothing about Planetside and spawned in the Warpgate as FNGscrub1 I'd probably be like "wow this is cool... Where do I go?"

If he's lucky someone will have a Galaxy sitting there telling people to load up. Even then it's still a little confusing and maybe overwhelming for him.

Hamma · 2012-11-01, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by Rolfski

LevelCap gaming just released his thoughts on beta as well, which are in similar line as Hamma's: More focus is needed on improving casual play as casual play and outfit play can go along very well with each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG6sxdeWYtE

The irony in this entire debate is the huge outfits want it their way. If they do in fact get their way they will un-intentionally make it so this game will not be a success over time. If new players don't come in and play without leaving the game will not be a success.

PlanetSide 1 Veterans and Huge Outfits need to realize there is room for Casual and Large Organized Operations in PlanetSide 2.

Crator · 2012-11-02, 12:10 AM

Casual play, which includes solo as well a PUG, should be very valid. And it is. The problem is the visual queues and instructions that new players need to identify where to go, and how to get there. And what to do when they get there. I heard something about a VR training area, that will be good. Go over different roles, weapons, and vehicles on what they can do. Something on the UI (toggable) when you first enter a continent that explains things about capture points and the map would be good as well.

Sifer2 · 2012-11-02, 12:43 AM

Could barely concentrate on the video once how saw how OP the Vanu Sniper looks. Jeez they must have buffed that thing a lot since I last tried it out a few weeks back. Looks like there is zero sway now an pin point accuracy. Guess outdoor combat was fine while it lasted but we will back to Sniper spam soon lol.

Anyway I agree new players need a bit of direction. Even the original game was better off in its beta than this since it at least had the VR training so you could try out weapons. Stuff like this is the vital polish than PS2 needs but wont get because they are rushing this out the door for the holiday season. I almost don't see what the point is of listing concerns anymore. NONE of what we tell them at this point is going to make it in by release. They have to be in feature lockdown by this point an crunching hard to get in Amerish an fix some of the major known issues. The build we get next week is probably for the most part going to be the near final version. They will just use us to test it for crashes an fix it any that pop up, and then the game will come out.

Beerbeer · 2012-11-02, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by boogsugar

Hello

I just started in the beta 2 days ago. I consider myself fairly competent and a quick study. I can say that I am totally lost in PS2.

I have done a ton of reading and that is helping quite a lot. That is how I found this site. However, I am still fairly lost. It is very hard for me to understand whats going on when looking at the map and how to actually capture anything.

I am slowly figuring it out because I want to love this game. But most of new players are not going to put that in kind of effort. They are going to log in, run around for an hour, quit, and then go flame the game on w/e forum they use.

The game is then going to have bad word of mouth, people wont give it a shot who would have and things spiral downward. That is my fear.

Anyway, just some feedback from a noob who never played PS1 who just started playing.

I can empathize. I think the devs had good intentions but overlooked some obvious things in terms of easing people into the game.

The simple stuff like VR training rooms, more intuitive interface, simpler menu and map system and easy to use and understand cert system. Even for me, it was all overwhelming at first.

Nothing is explained very well, the cert system especially. A few simple words, like "does not work with X," or, "can only use one at a time," or, "to activate press X." It amazes me how sloppy some of the basic stuff is, hopefully they clean it up before launch.

The map, spawning, instant action and redeployments, while great tools, are difficult to comprehend at first and NOT apparent at all. This could have been done much more simply. Simple doesn't mean a loss in functionality, just a much more intuitive and faster way to achieve something. The "deployments" need help and have to be made much more apparent to the new person playing.

Heck, all of it is overwhelming, yet the ironic thing is that they thought by simply cutting character customization would help with the initial hump. If anything, they could have bumped character customization abilities, provided they simplified everything else. Deep character customization is a good hook to get people playing a long time. A sloppy and complex interface is fatiguing and turns people off.