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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0011158Skyward CollapseGameplay IssueMay 17, 2013 1:04 pm
ReporterCyprene Assigned ToChris_McElligottPark  
Status resolvedResolutionfixed 
Product Version.801 
Summary0011158: What to do at start unclear
DescriptionThe tutorial tells you to build a resource chain and a barracks in each town, but it's not really clear which unit you should be aiming for or why. Something like, "For starters, try plunking down some Chapmen, a barracks, a pig farm and a butcher." would make the beginning a little more directed.

Also, a paragraph or so at the start about what you're doing would be very helpful to for people who are just coming in. "Your job is to expand this continent and keep these two sides fighting. Start by building things." Something like that. I know what I'm doing because I've been reading the forums, but if I hadn't I'd just be staring at a big flying island and be totally clueless.
TagsNo tags attached.
Internal WeightFeature Suggestion

Activities

Chris_McElligottPark

May 3, 2013 8:07 pm

administrator   ~0031654

Did you start with the tutorial edict? It says to build chapmen, and it tells you what your goals are twice...

It also tells you to build a barracks, and to make sure it produces something. It also tells you to read the tooltips for more info. And then the barracks shows you precisely what you need to build any given unit.

You're not the first to say something like this, though, so I'm tearing my hair out a little. ;)

Cyprene

May 3, 2013 9:30 pm

reporter   ~0031682

I did, yes. I read the tooltips and I did get a production chain up for some infantry guys, as well as chapmen.

I think a lot of the problem I was having is that since you can place buildings for free in the pre-game, I didn't realize that I needed things like woodcutters and stone masons to place more buildings. So once the game started I quickly found myself unable to do anything. Even a quick page of "Here's the resource types. Here's what they can build. Here's what you're going to want to have in every town, and then you can specialize into these things." would go a long, long way towards making it easier to understand.

Chris_McElligottPark

May 3, 2013 9:34 pm

administrator   ~0031684

Hmmm... it does still show all that in the tooltips, despite noting also that it's free. I went out of my way to make sure it would show you the normal costs.

The thing is that with so many resources and so forth, trying to summarize the resource chain would be massive and not something anyone retain. What they really need is a reference. A reference like... the tooltips.

But I see your point. Making a bigger deal about rock quarries and stone cutters and a few other basics would make good sense. The very next request I'm going to get, though, is to make that information hang around on the screen during the tutorial, because otherwise people can't remember that many things (heck, I could not, with a new game).

So this will have to wait a bit, but I think it's a good idea -- thanks.

Faulty Logic

May 3, 2013 11:31 pm

reporter   ~0031707

The tutorial should walk you through everything you need to do to get a military building producing units. And I mean everything.

The AI War tutorials, for example, held your hand until they were certain you knew how to do the important stuff.

People who want to learn by experiment can still do so, by simply not selecting the tutorial.

Chris_McElligottPark

May 3, 2013 11:33 pm

administrator   ~0031710

Yep, that's true. What I need to basically make it do is be a little more hand-holdy in those first turns, and make sure you put down some stuff in certain places.

I wasn't sure if that was going to be needed, but again -- that's part of why we do the alpha, is to find out that sort of thing.

Thanks for the feedback, it is extremely valuable to know when people feel frustrated and specifically by what. When we know, we can do something about it!

zharmad

May 4, 2013 1:51 am

reporter   ~0031727

I would list the following absolute necessities in addition to the barracks, even though that they are obvious:
- Wood and carpenter
- Rock and stone carpenter (especially since Norse's basic archer also depletes them!)

The resources at the bottom of the resource chain should be explicitly told to the player. Without them you'll get stuck after the start of the game and have to airdrop resources (not a good sign of having fun. :D)

Shumbok

May 4, 2013 6:14 am

reporter   ~0031740

I would also suggest a little text about the Basic Ressources and how many you should aim to in the first rounds. Also a small text about the first 2-3 Basic Units and there strengths would be very helpful for the beginning.

madcow

May 4, 2013 9:28 am

reporter   ~0031757

I agree with this point. When I first started there's an overload of resources available and its quite overwhelming to figure out what you need to do, what resources are important. The fact that some resources can be built next to town, and others can't. One requires another, etc.

On another note, the game refers to needing "Wood cutters" but the building is just called "wood" that is extremely confusing and it took me quite awhile of wondering where the heck is the woodcutter before I figured it out.

Kjara

May 4, 2013 5:42 pm

reporter   ~0031783

Last edited: May 4, 2013 5:42 pm

One idea would be to arrange the buildings as a DAG (directed acyclic graph).


   

I think this could be done in 3 total rows? and I think that each building has at most 2 other buildings as input?

Edit: Whelp, that ate my formatting. Example attached as asci art.

Kjara

May 4, 2013 5:43 pm

reporter  

AsciiArtDag.txt (278 bytes)   
I.e:  Woodcutter          Iron      Diamond
        |                /  |         |
        v               /   v        /
    Carpenter          |  Smelter   /
        |     \       /       \    /
        v      \     |         \  /
    Fletcher     Smithy       Jeweller
AsciiArtDag.txt (278 bytes)   

Cyprene

May 4, 2013 6:31 pm

reporter   ~0031786

Even a sentence in the tooltips for the resources would help a lot. "Pig Farm: Used by the butcher to make bacon. Bacon is required for all infantry units."
Something like that.

Misery

May 5, 2013 11:13 am

reporter   ~0031817

I agree with this one. I have nothing against learning by doing, but I didnt think the tutorial gave enough info to quite learn the basics. My first hour with the game was me sticking random things in random places and hoping that I could learn something from the results. Other players might not be so tolerant of this idea, particularly with so many games lately having overdone tutorials that explain even simple things in extreme detail.

Chris_McElligottPark

May 17, 2013 1:04 pm

administrator   ~0032333

Completely new tutorial!

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
May 3, 2013 7:58 pm Cyprene New Issue
May 3, 2013 8:07 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0031654
May 3, 2013 9:30 pm Cyprene Note Added: 0031682
May 3, 2013 9:34 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0031684
May 3, 2013 11:31 pm Faulty Logic Note Added: 0031707
May 3, 2013 11:33 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0031710
May 4, 2013 1:51 am zharmad Note Added: 0031727
May 4, 2013 6:06 am tigersfan Internal Weight => Feature Suggestion
May 4, 2013 6:06 am tigersfan Status new => considering
May 4, 2013 6:14 am Shumbok Note Added: 0031740
May 4, 2013 9:28 am madcow Note Added: 0031757
May 4, 2013 5:42 pm Kjara Note Added: 0031783
May 4, 2013 5:42 pm Kjara Note Edited: 0031783
May 4, 2013 5:43 pm Kjara File Added: AsciiArtDag.txt
May 4, 2013 6:31 pm Cyprene Note Added: 0031786
May 5, 2013 11:13 am Misery Note Added: 0031817
May 17, 2013 1:04 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0032333
May 17, 2013 1:04 pm Chris_McElligottPark Status considering => resolved
May 17, 2013 1:04 pm Chris_McElligottPark Resolution open => fixed
May 17, 2013 1:04 pm Chris_McElligottPark Assigned To => Chris_McElligottPark
Apr 14, 2014 9:28 am Chris_McElligottPark Category Gameplay - General Complaint => Gameplay Issue