Just some thoughts and suggestions on the game after my first day of play.
The Tutorial Cave
As far as tutorials go, the starter cave seems to do a very good job of introducing new players to various aspects of gameplay. By the time I left, I had recipes, a ranged and melee weapon with several abilities, and knowledge of the kinds of traps, puzzles, and NPC interactions I can expect to see in the game. While the steady flow of new gameplay elements kept me interested, the cave design itself was a place I had been a hundred times before.
Free, at last!
When the player leaves the cave, the contrast in both color and lighting makes for a very welcome scene. Before the player lies the city and to the left both mobs and resources are visible. The player has the feeling of choice (explore or head to town), and since these opportunities are presented to them without arrows, markers or signs, there isn't the feeling of being on rails or being guided. For me, it's a welcome sense of freedom.
Anyway, by accident of disorder, my 'shroom skill is 10 points (one gather) shy of being able to pick any shrooms around town, so I'm off to resume my 'shroom hunt for some first-tier 'shroomage.
The Tutorial Cave
As far as tutorials go, the starter cave seems to do a very good job of introducing new players to various aspects of gameplay. By the time I left, I had recipes, a ranged and melee weapon with several abilities, and knowledge of the kinds of traps, puzzles, and NPC interactions I can expect to see in the game. While the steady flow of new gameplay elements kept me interested, the cave design itself was a place I had been a hundred times before.
Meh Mobs - I'd like to suggest starting with something other than skeletons and rats. They're a big red flag that says "Nothing new to see here."
Cave appearance - This is the player's first impression of the game, and it's both long and unchanging in appearance. I'd be willing to be that halfway through, most players who would otherwise be interested in this game would be already wondering "When do I get out of here?" Turning on the mini-map or introducing players to it about halfway through might help. For the completionist, it shows the places they haven't been yet. For the explorer, there's the discovery of paths that aren't on the map, encouraging further exploration later in the game. For the player that feels it's dragging, it shows that there is an end in sight.
Cave appearance - This is the player's first impression of the game, and it's both long and unchanging in appearance. I'd be willing to be that halfway through, most players who would otherwise be interested in this game would be already wondering "When do I get out of here?" Turning on the mini-map or introducing players to it about halfway through might help. For the completionist, it shows the places they haven't been yet. For the explorer, there's the discovery of paths that aren't on the map, encouraging further exploration later in the game. For the player that feels it's dragging, it shows that there is an end in sight.
Free, at last!
When the player leaves the cave, the contrast in both color and lighting makes for a very welcome scene. Before the player lies the city and to the left both mobs and resources are visible. The player has the feeling of choice (explore or head to town), and since these opportunities are presented to them without arrows, markers or signs, there isn't the feeling of being on rails or being guided. For me, it's a welcome sense of freedom.
Meh Mobs... again. - These mob choices seem really odd coming from an ex-AC developer. Part of the wonder of AC was that each creature the new player met was completely alien to them, with attack type and threat level yet to be discovered. We're over a decade and several scores of MMOs into the genre. The wolf/spider/rat/skeleton thing just seems so uninspired at this point.
Fleeing a mistake - The green guardian and tigers taught me to think carefully before I shoot, but there was also the possibility of escaping them which was a welcome experience. I do plan to be back for them again later.
Town - The NPCs have something interesting to say and they are willing to take items off your hands for various non-cash rewards. The vendor windows were different from the layout of most MMO vendors, but it was intuitive and worked well, which rocks. The shops need signs or images on them. Maybe they were there, but I didn't notice them so bigger or more obvious might help. I know there are some who feel I should GTFB2WoW for suggesting that, but I don't believe there has been a single town of shops anywhere ever since the beginning of written history where shops didn't have something to indicate what they were selling inside.
Fleeing a mistake - The green guardian and tigers taught me to think carefully before I shoot, but there was also the possibility of escaping them which was a welcome experience. I do plan to be back for them again later.
Town - The NPCs have something interesting to say and they are willing to take items off your hands for various non-cash rewards. The vendor windows were different from the layout of most MMO vendors, but it was intuitive and worked well, which rocks. The shops need signs or images on them. Maybe they were there, but I didn't notice them so bigger or more obvious might help. I know there are some who feel I should GTFB2WoW for suggesting that, but I don't believe there has been a single town of shops anywhere ever since the beginning of written history where shops didn't have something to indicate what they were selling inside.
Anyway, by accident of disorder, my 'shroom skill is 10 points (one gather) shy of being able to pick any shrooms around town, so I'm off to resume my 'shroom hunt for some first-tier 'shroomage.
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