DUST Search - NPE, are we getting the wrong n00bs?

Shutter Fly wrote:

I understand that this game is a bit different from your average FPS, and that can be a bit confusing at first, but I still have some trouble seeing why people are having so much trouble with the basic mechanics other than laziness. I make my case with a tale of an inexperienced, yet inquisitive merc, long long ago, by the name of Shutter Fly.

I was logging into the closed Beta for the first time, after receiving my acceptance email and beta key. What was the first thing I did? LOOK THROUGH THE MENUS. Saw an item for Skills, opened it and was greeted by the skill list (no tree back then). There were dropsuits, weapons, equipment, etc. At the bottom of the screen it said to press triangle for info, here I was greeted by a tabbed menu that showed the skill benefits, costs, and PREREQUISITES, meaning I needed some skills before I could get other ones. I already knew I wanted to use the shotgun no matter what, so I put a level in it..

Next, the Marketplace, that sounded important. Well this is an FPS, so I took a look at the weapons first, shotguns to be specific. First thing I noticed was the first shotgun on the list had a nice green checkmark by it, while the others had scary red Xs. Using my nifty info button, I investigated, in addition to stats I saw the PREREQUISITES tab. Upon farther investigation I saw that each gun had particular incremental prerequisites that matched up with the skills I had just looked at. I figured it would be good to take a thorough look through the marketplace, so I knew what there was to do in this game. During that time I came across the various MILITIA items which, surprise, had no prerequisites, I bought some that looked useful.

Where could I make use of these new items I came accross? Dropsuit Fitting seemed like a safe bet. I saw that I had a few suits already made up for me, which was nice. I wanted to make some of my own, though. I started putting my suit together, shield extenders sounded like a good idea, and I threw on that shotgun that I bought. This fitting had a number next to it, one, as did all the items I put on it. Maybe that's why it asked me how many I wanted. I bought some more of everything.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out this game, it just takes some patience and willingness to learn. There are a few things that are a bit obscure like orbitals, vehicle fitting, and some more specific item mechanics, but the basics are easy. If someone comes in and isn't willing to go through a similar process, then I don't think this is really the game for them in the first place.

However, there is some need for a few things. Some more clear and descriptive UI would really help clear up some confusion and IMO would add some much needed polish. Most things have descriptions, but they are often very unclear, uninformative, and a bit misleading. At times I think some of the more "colorful" descriptions (See: Gallente Scout/Flaylock Pistol) could actually hinder someone's process of learning about the game.

Although, all this stuff is lost when every new player goes directly from 2-4 games with other newbies, to a complete roflstomp against seasoned players. I doubt many people even care to continue with anything interesting they noticed after those first few post-academy battles.


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Shutter Fly Molon Labe. General Tso's Alliance 277	Posted - 2014.03.08 02:19:00 - [1] - Quote Reusing an earlier post from a similar thread. Pretty much sums up how I started out and my view of the NPE. Shutter Fly wrote: I understand that this game is a bit different from your average FPS, and that can be a bit confusing at first, but I still have some trouble seeing why people are having so much trouble with the basic mechanics other than laziness. I make my case with a tale of an inexperienced, yet inquisitive merc, long long ago, by the name of Shutter Fly. I was logging into the closed Beta for the first time, after receiving my acceptance email and beta key. What was the first thing I did? LOOK THROUGH THE MENUS. Saw an item for Skills, opened it and was greeted by the skill list (no tree back then). There were dropsuits, weapons, equipment, etc. At the bottom of the screen it said to press triangle for info, here I was greeted by a tabbed menu that showed the skill benefits, costs, and PREREQUISITES, meaning I needed some skills before I could get other ones. I already knew I wanted to use the shotgun no matter what, so I put a level in it.. Next, the Marketplace, that sounded important. Well this is an FPS, so I took a look at the weapons first, shotguns to be specific. First thing I noticed was the first shotgun on the list had a nice green checkmark by it, while the others had scary red Xs. Using my nifty info button, I investigated, in addition to stats I saw the PREREQUISITES tab. Upon farther investigation I saw that each gun had particular incremental prerequisites that matched up with the skills I had just looked at. I figured it would be good to take a thorough look through the marketplace, so I knew what there was to do in this game. During that time I came across the various MILITIA items which, surprise, had no prerequisites, I bought some that looked useful. Where could I make use of these new items I came accross? Dropsuit Fitting seemed like a safe bet. I saw that I had a few suits already made up for me, which was nice. I wanted to make some of my own, though. I started putting my suit together, shield extenders sounded like a good idea, and I threw on that shotgun that I bought. This fitting had a number next to it, one, as did all the items I put on it. Maybe that's why it asked me how many I wanted. I bought some more of everything. It doesn't take a genius to figure out this game, it just takes some patience and willingness to learn. There are a few things that are a bit obscure like orbitals, vehicle fitting, and some more specific item mechanics, but the basics are easy. If someone comes in and isn't willing to go through a similar process, then I don't think this is really the game for them in the first place. However, there is some need for a few things. Some more clear and descriptive UI would really help clear up some confusion and IMO would add some much needed polish. Most things have descriptions, but they are often very unclear, uninformative, and a bit misleading. At times I think some of the more "colorful" descriptions (See: Gallente Scout/Flaylock Pistol) could actually hinder someone's process of learning about the game. Although, all this stuff is lost when every new player goes directly from 2-4 games with other newbies, to a complete roflstomp against seasoned players. I doubt many people even care to continue with anything interesting they noticed after those first few post-academy battles.