I suppose you know what I mean, Empires mod is not like CS, it requires time to learn, and reading a manual seems not a good idea for a lot of novice players. We need an interactive map where novice player can learn all the basics needed to play Empires. We could discuse here all the parts that need to be covered, and more important: how we can implement them. There will be needed a system to order tasks and check if they are accomplished. So this will require some coding support too. I think this is a critical aspect of Empires and it deserves major attention. Every usual player is tired of deal with noobs that don't know to buy vehicles or even simpler tasks (to say something), so I hope this proposal is not forgotten.
This has been discussed before and agreed on as a good idea but there are a few problems. How are we going to make sure that all new players play through the tutorial? Forcing every new player to do so before playing would turn a lot of people off before they even see the online play. We'd also need a few new entitys for this as you've already stated and for those we need Krenzos coding which would mean taking his attention away from further actual game progress. We'd also need mappers to work on this. I have already offered what help I can but I have had no time lately with work and my part time 3d modelling.
What I really want to do here is to start gathering attention, don't know if this training map could be accomplished in 3, 6 months or more, but it would be really good if it can be done, no matter when. The amount of code needed could be minimal depending on the approach we follow, but that's something difficult to know.
First: what do we want to teach the new player? My list: - functionality of every building - squad and stuff menu - basics of customizing vehicle - choosing skills - basic information about different kinds of vehicles
I'm currently working on a tutorial that will be released with a patch that will require all players to run through in order to play online. Here are the various basic gameplay issues that player will be required to perform. - Team, Class, Location selection screens - Destroying various targets with each class, and how to enter/create squads - Understanding of each structure, what it does, and why they are important - Building, customizing, and driving vehicles - Understanding of the importence of the commander vehicle - Building structures with the commander, giving orders, building a res node, and lastly defending the commander from attacks Please feel free to give some input on this, and anything else you would like noobs to know before entering a pub.
Great Doobie, we are saved! I think you have accounted the main areas that need to be explored. I'd like to point that the tutorial should focus on goals: protect the CV/Spawn points and get new resources, you know a game sucks when most people on your team doesn't care about those 2 things. There is also another issue that I see usually: players choose classes guided by personal preferences and not by team needs. Funny to see people using scouts when several enemy tanks are aproaching to base, and things like that.
Once AI is created for the game im going to have some active team support scenerios that the new player must play through in order to complete the level. (build a res node that is under attack, kill an incoming tank, etc.) This will have to wait for a while tho..
some basic information on skills would be good, and using it for teamwork, things like painting targets as scout and using feedback skill as arty to take em down
Dizzyone: that will lead to trying to add everything to the tutorial. It should show just the information needed to learn yourself everything else (play without hurting your own team). There should be easy to find link to the www.empiresmod.info on www.empiresmod.com or even in the installer.
It could be set in a futuristic city where you fight as a single NF scientist trying to battle his way through the evil BE oppressors to join up with your friends and launch an attack on the Brenodis main HQ. We could even have some sort of magnet like thing that lets you pick up and throw stuff around!
I think that this is something that should only appear near the end of the Beta process, possibly in a Release Candidate Patch. The reason being that as more things are modified, balanced, fixed and added, the more irrelevant the tutorial will be. I think it needs to be thuroughly tested by the community too. This should be something that is high on the list of importance, but far back on the timeline.
Please make a console cvar for skipping this tutorial thing so that the oldies don't have to spend time on that. :p But for new players it's a must. Although I foresee a severe drop in new player rate if information of this thing leaks out... The buggers need to take a bite from the bait before we can reel them in. :p
It should be in the same style has the opposing force bootcamp, not in terms of obstacle jumps etc, but drill instructor dude and military style, maybe. This would require some basic ai to be implemented for soldeiers etc so scripted sequences can, but it would definetly make training maps more interesting
