Dorvin Loire
Nihil-Obstat Mercs
General Tso's Alliance
4
   |
Posted - 2014.04.20 18:25:00 -
[1] - Quote
-On NPE
Informing new players on skills, weapons, dropsuits, and corporations ought to be a larger priority with the NPE.
I personally feel that having some sort of questionnaire to start off with could be beneficial at making a new player think about their options with the game. With this they could then consider where they would like to specialize.
Perhaps this could have multiple stages to it and consider playing style -- first with regard to particular dropsuit types, then with weapons, modules, equipment, etc. It could start by asking which role on the battlefield they would prefer most and continue on until a suggested role is provided.
The results could state something like:
"Your answers indicate that you may enjoy playing as a Logistics. A Logistics player is an important part of any battle as they ... With this suit you can use equipment such as ..."
"Does this result appeal to you? If no, look through the other roles listed below to see which fits best."
- Assault- Frontline soldier who ...
- Scout- Stealthy operative who ...
- etc.
This can move onto the factional variants of the suit to show the differences between each. Then they can look through those and answer more questions to help determine which weapons, modules, and equipment would best fit their playstyle. Results for these questions will not force a new player into choosing any one thing off of first impressions but rather give them the opportunity to evaluate all that the game has to offer and begin thinking about their choices (the #1 first objective for a game such as this, where decisions do matter). It can also provide them with ~25 milita variants of the suit and weapon they select as their best fit.
Video tutorials could then be available for understanding the finer parts of the game. Have something that explains passive v. active sp, the differences between shield and armor hp, differing damage types for weapons, the importance of joining corporations, etc. Each video tutorial should be quick and to the point, while ending by saying "look for further information while purchasing items, by reading written tutorials, or by asking your fellow mercs for assistance."
Lastly, these tutorials -- while optional -- can be coupled with an immediate sp bonus for completion. Make them readily visible for newer players and show them that there is something to gain by looking them over before they start throwing sp around blindly. Something like 24,000 sp per video (with roughly 5 to 8-ish videos, tops) to help give them an extra kickstart as a new player. These video tutorials should be available to everyone so that those who have played for a while, though still unaware of some game mechanics, can have an equal opportunity to learn of them.
-On Corporations
Aside from tutorials, I also believe that corporations should be more easily seen while in the merc quarters. The corporation section should be more user friendly, with an overview page much like the market place and a browsing section (instead of just the search function) to see many corporations.
Corporations can be filtered by a classification as defined by its CEO (ex: Competitive, Casual, Instructional, etc). The page for the corporation could then include more information, such as the listed names of the CEO, directors, and recruiting officers as well as an online indicator to allow interested mercs to chat them up and ask about joining. Additionally, an in-game message board for corporations would be much appreciated to allow members to feel more connected to one another.
With recruiting it could also be beneficial to have some statistics for a merc beyond their kills, KDR, and warpoints. A statistics sheet that shows lifetime hacks, injector uses, armor repaired, individual weapon kills, dropship spawns and successful transportation (ex: people killing/hacking seconds after leaving the dropship), etc. This could be a sort of resume for each merc and can be edited to omit information at that mercs discretion.
These additions, I feel, could be a step in the right direction for improving the playerbase of the game. Make the NPE a bit more informative to ease players into understanding its many complexities. Make the corporations appear more inviting and show the playerbase that corporations are not just for the most competitive among us.
There are many other improvements that could be made in these areas; these are just my two cents. |
Glantix Toketsu-Snow
Onikanabo Brigade
Caldari State
5
|
Posted - 2014.04.20 21:29:00 -
[2] - Quote
I have heard **** ideas for NPE before. And then there is this.
This is probably the best idea I have seen anyone come up with, I can tell you have put a lot of thought into this and it looks like this would work brilliantly.
Especially the tutorials explaining each battlefield role and giving you militia BPOs related to the role you chose. I feel like this would work incredibly well and greatly improve the experience for new players.
The corporation stuff is pretty cool too. Not as needed as the NPE changes, but definitely something I would love to see in this game.
You definitely have earned a +1, and I would give you a +12 if I could. |