Doyle Reese
OSG Planetary Operations
Covert Intervention
82
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Posted - 2013.06.06 20:18:00 -
[1] - Quote
I think the tutorial should be a one time thing per PSN ID. The first time you execute the game after you register your email should be this tutorial. Following the Battle Academy phase where you can spend your skill points in whatever you like, your trainee character will be replaced with a identical character in a random NPC corp with the 500K SP plus whatever you earn during the course of the Academy Phase, likewise with your ISK amount.
Intro Tutorial to Dust
Firstly, a newly created character regardless of race will be inducted into the DUST BATTLE ACADEMY Corp and their Corp Chat will have a chatbot that randomly spew gametips every so often to help trainees (DID YOU KNOW? type things). This allows all the newbies to be in one place and makes them easier to go and find other newbies to squad up with. More on this later.
A change from our current introduction video would be nice, as it is not indicative of what the game feels like now, but ultimately not too necessary as the basic points are there. What DOES need to change is what comes afterwards.
The first thing I would do after the introduction video is to load into a small empty map where the automated combat tutorial takes place. The 1st combat tutorial should go over the basics of any FPS (ie., looking, moving, and shooting dummy targets and throwing grenades). After successful completion there should be some small ISK reward (10000 ISK would be nice enough, you don't want to give them too much). Following the rewards you will be loaded into your Merc Quarters for the first time.
In your Merc Quarters you will be led to your dropsuit fittings where you will create a new loadout featuring the Militia Nanohive that everyone currently gets for some reason. After the fitting tutorial you will be deployed into your next combat tutorial: The objectives.
The second combat tutorial is more objective focused as you already learned the basics. You are basically under contract to infiltrate an enemy compound to acquire intel. You will deploy in the new loadout that you created earlier and will be required to move towards some cliffs or whatever where you will happen upon Recon Drones, you will be asked to eliminate them quickly. Afterwards you will be taught how to use your Nanohive to replenish ammo. Following that you will move forward where you will encounter an enemy Railgun installation. You will be requested to hack the installation to turn it over for your use, you will be required to use them to destroy more enemy drones. You will enter the compound and be requested to hack an objective to acquire the data. Once you acquire the data you will happen across a field of Blaster Installations and an enemy Supply Depot. You will be requested to hack the Supply Depot and switch your loadout to the Anti-Armor starter fit to destroy those turrets with the Swarm Launcher, resupplying at the Depot when required. After that, call a vehicle to drive to the waypoint to end the mission. The rewards should be around 50000 ISK and there should be some Militia items for salvage. You will be brought back to the Merc Quarters once more.
Back in your Merc Quarters again, this time you will learn about the Market and the need to restock your loadout should you die in battle. (If you died in the previous mission for some reason using your non starter fit, the item cost will be deducted from your rewards). The market tutorial will lead directly into learning about Skills. After that, you are allowed to go into Battle Academy Battles.
After you finish the first Academy Battle you will finally learn about the chat menus, creating/joining squads, and adding contacts. Do explain the benefits of being in a squad like being able to utilize powerful Orbital Strikes when a certain amount of WarPoints is amassed by the squad. Finishing this will finally complete the tutorial and the player is allowed to do as they please.
Once you leave the Battle Academy you will be removed from DUST RECRUIT and be placed in NPC corps. You will be given a one time respec**.
// **This is only if the tutorial mode is available to every character in your account.
Do note that the tutorial phase is completely optional but the benefits of completeing it will be the one-time ISK, SP and Salvage awards.
In short:
- Patching Screen
- Welcome Video
- First Combat Tutorial - Basics
- Merc Quarters - Create Fitting
- Second Combat Tutorial - Objectives
- Merc Quarters - Market, Using Skill Points, Restocking Fittings
- First Battle Academy battle
- Merc Quarters - Chat menus, squad creation
- End Tutorial Phase and into Battle Academy Phase
So yeah, the reason I'm sectioning off particular parts of the MQ in between combat tutorials is pacing, you don't want new players to sit through 4 different interactive tutorials before the active section in combat. This method also reduces the chance of new players getting overload with new information too fast (like we are now). I fully acknowledge that the second combat tutorial does not reflect any current game types, but it gives a general feeling of what you need to do in this game to succeed and features all the basic features covered in a new way (and it could be a new Capture the Flag mode if need be). The dummies does not even need to be AI Drones, it could be dummy targets. |