Thoughts.

[bustr]

The AH3 clipboard is so tame and easy to navigate, that may be turning off a younger demographic expecting hand holding pazzazzz. Other games have so many eclectic nested pages of pictures and goodies and vague explanations of things in mind boggling technical writing overdose. But, they have a very well constructed forced tutorial that is almost like playing an AI version of the main game. While following a training regiment designed to get you up and running just enough that you can functionally shoot back in the real game and start earning game cash to level up.

Part of why I asked Hitech if he intended to expand the AI into offline mode. I ended up building an offline gunnery terrain to practice everything that goes boom engineered so you can fill the drone slots with airplanes or tanks then be able to shoot or bomb those drones on actual ranges. All the airspawns didn't hurt since you don't waste your play time climbing to alt. When I learned how to use a new object that launches AI for a match play arena, yes I could have placed that object on my gunnery terrain but, you cannot force it to launch only specified airplanes.

A new player forced tutorial arena with combat AI and gunnery ranges and so on and so on. Would be what many new customers expect to run into with our game from all the other games they play. And an offline version would not be unthinkable other than active combat AI might be giving away a little too much. Still, it would be nice to tell the drones to fly a few different patterns and have them fly at higher speeds for offline gunnery training.

[captain1ma]

almost every game out there requires some sort of login, why shouldn't yours be any different. go for it.

[Ciaphas]

almost every game out there requires some sort of login, why shouldn't yours be any different. go for it.

Exactly and any training should be quick and to the point. Show the important areas of the clipboard, basics for take off, some basics of flight, some air to air gunnery, air to ground attack, a quick overview of level bombing and finally a crash course in landing.

nothing more and nothing less.




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[CptTrips]

One thing worth keeping in mind is change risk.

If you have training created going in to deep detail of working with the Clipboard interface, that training needs to be updated  any time there are UI changes. That can be painful. 

There are different possible channels for training: web pages, Youtube video, compiled missions, with different costs and difficulty in updating/redo'ing.  There would be nothing worse to spend a lot of time creating training and then UI/behaviors change and you don't update/redo the training to stay synced.  It is insanely annoying to be following a tutorial and being told click on something and you can't find it.  As a newbie, you don't know if the tutorial is out of date of it, you are just missing something.  I'd suggest thinking carefully about:

1. Isolate areas of stuff most likely to change from everything else to minimize impact. (e.g. you might want to separate training on the Clipboard to it's own module.  That UI is more like to change and cause the training to be redone, than flying and shooting.

2.  Put stuff likely to change in the format that is cheapest and easiest to change.  Stuff that will need to change often should be in web pages not videos that have to be re-recorded.

3.  If you know  ahead of time you have big UI/behavior changes on the horizon, you might want to do that first before building training that will then have to be changed.

4.  You'll want to think about a process for reviewing what code changes will affect what training so you can update the training  at the same time so that newbies aren't being told to do stuff they can't in the UI after a release comes out.

$0.02.

,
CptTrips

[Ciaphas]

Basic stuff on the clipboard that is unlikely to change is what I am referring to.

1. Oclub

2. Hangar

3. settings


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[Vraciu]

Exactly and any training should be quick and to the point. Show the important areas of the clipboard, basics for take off, some basics of flight, some air to air gunnery, air to ground attack, a quick overview of level bombing and finally a crash course in landing.

nothing more and nothing less.




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THEY ABSOLUTELY must be shown how to communicate.   Players who cannot ask for help are doomed.

[FLS]

You don't really need a training mission for the clipboard or comms. A video is enough. 

I'm picturing more of a take off and landing mission that's pass/fail and gives the new player a focused task that requires learning some aero and practicing flight control. Failure can trigger an email link for optional free training.

A mission progression from basic flying to shooting drones to fighting AI builds on previous knowledge and provides at least some minimal preparation for the MA. A trainer can help at each stage if required. It's often easier to learn just a few things at a time.

It should be easy enough for a vet from another sim. If it isn't they need the practice and likely the training too.

I think most new players picture themselves in fighters until they try them and that's where they need initial help.

Alternatively you could have a fighter path, a bomber path, and a vehicle/ship path.  Complete one or all three. You don't want to force fighter guys into bomber training or vice versa.

[Vraciu]

You don't really need a training mission for the clipboard or comms. A video is enough. 

I'm picturing more of a take off and landing mission that's pass/fail and gives the new player a focused task that requires learning some aero and practicing flight control. Failure can trigger an email link for optional free training.

A mission progression from basic flying to shooting drones to fighting AI builds on previous knowledge and provides at least some minimal preparation for the MA. A trainer can help at each stage if required. It's often easier to learn just a few things at a time.

It should be easy enough for a vet from another sim. If it isn't they need the practice and likely the training too.

I think most new players picture themselves in fighters until they try them and that's where they need initial help.

You need an arrow with an overlay explaining how to talk.   

Communication is EVERYTHING.   If they can’t communicate they can’t seek help and they quit.   I’ve seen it dozens of times in the very recent past. 

They will never watch a video.

You need an arrow in yellow pointing CLICK HERE TO COMMUNICATE OR PRESS / TO OPEN THE TEXT BAR.   

[FLS]

You're describing a likely video scenario showing how to communicate. Press a default keyboard key (note the YELLOW arrow) or use a mapped controller.

[Vraciu]

You're describing a likely video scenario showing how to communicate. Press a default keyboard key (note the YELLOW arrow) or use a mapped controller.

NOBODY is going to watch a video. 

The videos we have now are already clunky as it is.   You start overpowering players with this stuff and they’ll quit. 

This isn’t rocket surgery.   You don’t need a sledgehammer to pound a nail.  Let’s not get too cute here.


You need an interactive overlay that shows them where to click and has them do it.  A video isn’t gonna cut it for many reasons and isn’t going to be as effective as having them actually manipulate the interface. 

[Wiley]

NOBODY is going to watch a video. 
...

All of this.  So much of this.  Doing it through video is IMO just barely short of a complete waste of time.  People expect to go through it in game as it happens.  Yes, it is possible to learn by watching a video, but a lot of people simply won't do it.

Wiley.

[Ciaphas]

THEY ABSOLUTELY must be shown how to communicate.   Players who cannot ask for help are doomed.

Yeah, forgot about that.

Any interactive training is going to be worth its weight in gold


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[Ack-Ack]

I am considering requiring a Login ID to do anything in AH including offline play.

I.E. At game start you must log in/create an account.
This would allow me to do things like force training missions on users and track their progress.

I believe almost all games that have an online component now work that way correct?

What are peoples thoughts.

HiTech

Yes, require a log in for all players, free and subscribers.  As you pointed out, it is a common requirement for other free to play online games.

[CptTrips]

All of this.  So much of this.  Doing it through video is IMO just barely short of a complete waste of time.  People expect to go through it in game as it happens.  Yes, it is possible to learn by watching a video, but a lot of people simply won't do it.

Wiley.

I agree no one is going to want to sit through a long training film when they are chomping a the bit to get in the air.  And if they did, they'd forget most of it.  People can only handle little nuggets of info at a time.   

Do you think it would work if the video were chopped up into bite size ~1m segments and interwoven with flight?

Like the game is pauses in flight, the clipboard comes up, the side panel flips out and a 1m video explains what you need to do in the next step.  Hit esq to continue.  That closes the clipboard and you fly on until the next check-point and then rinse, repeat?

If you did it right, these snipits could also be stitched together to make full videos to put on Youtube for later offline review.  Reuse the same content twice.

Thoughts?

[Vraciu]

I agree no one is going to want to sit through a long training film when they are chomping a the bit to get in the air.  And if they did, they'd forget most of it.  People can only handle little nuggets of info at a time.   

Do you think it would work if the video were chopped up into bite size ~1m segments and interwoven with flight?

Like the game is pauses in flight, the clipboard comes up, the side panel flips out and a 1m video explains what you need to do in the next step.  Hit esq to continue.  That closes the clipboard and you fly on until the next check-point and then rinse, repeat?

If you did it right, these snipits could also be stitched together to make full videos to put on Youtube for later offline review.  Reuse the same content twice.

Thoughts?

Don’t overthink it.   

Show them the things they need to do as overlays in sequence.   If you want to link to an optional video that’s fine, but it should be doable in real time with an interactive overlay.