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Thread Statistics | Show CCP posts - 8 post(s) |
Rynx Sinfar
Subdreddit
Test Alliance Please Ignore
1303
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Posted - 2014.12.03 19:48:00 -
[1] - Quote
Hi again.
Feedback on the presentation like last time. This post is meant to get people excited for new content, get people logging in, etc etc.
This image looks like the text was written by a developer to give someone a rough idea of the setup. For my own work I would send this to someone when asking for what they wanted the actual text to say. From the looks of it they wrote it in pretty quickly or they have a limited English vocabulary. Examples being bland names, poor grammar, inconsistent capitalization, and awkward phrasing. Do we win Skillpoints and Warpoints? I must be a big winner then because every two weeks I win money from my employer. I assume there is some sort of review before blog posts are made. Please review image text just as carefully. Do I really need to talk about properly reviewing official announcements to a company whose primary game groups players like businesses?
I was very eager to see what kind of missions you would be offering and ended up re-reading them because I wasn't sure if I was looking at them right. Confusion is a nice way to dampen excitement.
My confusion was from a mixture of several things:
- There are two different kinds of missions involving skillpoints, but the phrasing is extremely similar
- The awkward phrasing I mentioned made question if I was reading things wrong as other inconsistencies were found
- The posts are in a random order. Duplicate missions are separated where I would assume they would be grouped.
Let's talk about the random order thing again. I also brought it up when you were showing game data regarding prototype rifles. Do you have a drawer for your silverware? Does this drawer have something in there so that there are separate places for knives, forks, and spoons? Do you just mix those up for fun? I keep feeling like you guys are walking into a store where there is a line, going next to a random person... and then you all just find random places in the store to just lay down on the ground. Why? You literally need to go against human nature for this disorganization. Tell you what. Go here and be happy among your people.
I am assuming these are placeholder missions and that there will be more variety. If they aren't then... idk. Take drugs maybe. I don't advocate them but that is some watered down vanilla ice cream. It would essentially be categories of "play game", "play game lots", and "play a game good". But again I think these are placeholders.
That said why would show us a screen with 7 examples but only 4 missions? Well 3.5 technically since the Skillpoint ones are pretty much identical. Did you not think we'd read the missions? Are these particular missions meant to be interesting? No destroying vehicles? No healing/reviving teammates? No assists? No point capture? No "Earn 300 WP while defending an objective"? You're including that feature! Highlight it!
Lastly (and not something I take much issue with) is this image. While I am thrilled that when this releases in a week there will be reference material for where you can find it in your inventroy it isn't particularly exciting. What's it look like when you open it? Is there an animation? Some sense of anticipation? This image looks fun. A screen showing inventory is generally not. I know its only vanilla icecream in comparison but put some freaking sprinkles on it or something. Geez.
Also some people may remark on my own grammar in light of my criticisms. Yes. You are correct. In fact the method I identify poor writing is by comparing it to my own. No one has ever said anything positive about my writing concerning its form. if I am identifying issues that you can be sure you do have issues.
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Rynx Sinfar
Subdreddit
Test Alliance Please Ignore
1303
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Posted - 2014.12.03 19:53:00 -
[2] - Quote
Now is the part where I discuss the UI and get angry again. We're also going back to this guy
Look at number 6. Who okayed that? Who said "Yeah the description on that one looks fine to show to everyone". The description is the same as the name. Thanks. I was super confused but the description really cleared things up.
Before I continue, also get rid of the "(s)". It's 2014 and this is software that needs to be visually appealing. You modify the word based on the number.
Do you know the only helpful word in any of those descriptions? The word "gallantly". Why? Because it is the only word that isn't pointless. I think it should be replaced with something better suited but the fact remains. The Daily Mission screen is not where people need to learn about how to get SP/WP. The word "gallantly" is the only word meant to add flavor and unless a mission is added that needs explanation that is the only thing that should be in there.
That said do you know what I'm not big on seeing when I need to reference something daily? Cluttered text. Either expand it when I select it or lose it and oh my god is number 1 and 5's title color the same as the description text? No, its just incredibly close. Why? What is this evil inside you?
Moving on... if you want to keep the descriptions and need flavor. Gee if only you had some sort of culture to reference for that? Cultures where each would view the needs and actions of these missions differently. If only these missions weren't assigned by the invisible god Mtnoos who inflicts a terrible vengeance on these lands. Leaving them on our doorsteps while we sleep like some sort of chaotic santa clause.
(Not criticism but I imagine it must be frustrating earning LP for factions that constantly lose. Might be nice if earning WP for a faction could give you a limited number of missions the next day from that faction where you could earn their LP. Maybe have those missions only be completable in FW. You could list it where you list Skillpoints since none of the missions you show actually grant SP)
The mission names only eat up real estate. Do you think anyone is going to remember which is which or refer to them like that? Am I going to say "I have two hero missions today" to a friend or am I going to say "I have 3 SP missions, 2 WP missions left today". It's just clutter.
Status isn't super helpful either. Regardless of how the Mission column is handled you still have to have a certain amount of height for the rewards. Use it. The math is simple but why not include it? Show much on the next line what percent complete the mission is. Maybe show the number for how much more I need. For the status of number 4 does it show the closest you've gotten to winning enough SP in one battle? Use that extra line of space to mark it as "closest attempt" or something. And if you can do so then add the units too. 0/99 what? Yeah I only need to look to the left to check (and frankly if you didn't shuffle your lists like a blackjack dealer it would matter less) but none of this is meant to be critical. This isn't a failure its simply sloppy.
Next lets talk sorting. It looks like three of the columns can be sorted. We've already reviewed the default silverware drawer sort method used. Let's look at what the player can apparently click based on the little arrows.
First sorting is mission. Apparently I can sort my missions alphabetically. This is the only purpose for the names. However with 10 items in the list I'll never actually want them alphabetical. I will just want them grouped together.
Next we have Status. If Status isn't being sorted by percent complete I will fly there and throw eggs at your office windows. I will legitimately play on patch day just to look at this. If I am at 8/9 wins, and at 9,000/13,999 SP earned for the day, and that 9,000 is sorted as being higher on the list than the 8/9 then I will book a plane ticket.
Last is Rewards. Being generous you are showing 3 different values in this column that do not have a set rate of conversion. I'm guessing you'll just make up numbers for a rough conversion and call it close enough. That's fine as I don't think anyone is going to bother using it after trying it once or twice. What someone might use is a sorting method based on a difficulty scale. It might be helpful since mission difficulty at a glance is not easily distinguishable compared to rewards. Looking at this screen I can quickly and easily get a rough estimate at the value of mission rewards (depending on weapon quality). At the very least I can quickly identify things I most want (therefore value more). Doing so with missions will likely be much more difficult. Sorting by difficulty then lets me look and see how the rewards stack up compared to that difficulty.
I didn't really give suggestions for how to improve it. There are plenty but I can't identify the ones that can be done efficiently. My actual suggestion would be "do it right the first time". Its one of those things where changing one item requires a small change in the other. If it dominoes enough then you're looking at putting in nearly as much as you did to start off with. The only thing you would have needed to improve it would have been some attention to detail.
Look at each part on that UI and ask yourself what information people will need the most frequently. Why do they need it? Can we make it easier to find the information they are looking for? What will be needed the least? Is Ryox Sinfar going to come egg our offices if we release this? These are simple questions anyone should ask themselves. Not in the pursuit of something perfect, just to avoid something poor.
P.S. Congratulations on the positive review
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