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Ravenswood Academy tutorial feedback

captainhunter1captainhunter1 Posts: 409 Arc User
edited June 2015 in Missions and Content
Hi dev team!

Hey, I just wanted to give some feedback on the new tutorial revamp.

First off I want to say thanks for doing this, it makes the experience more streamlined and informative. I think it will help new players a bit better. That said, here are some things I saw that I felt could be polished a little more to make the tutorial shine to help retain those new players. :)

- There is no mention that the new character is starting IN the Powerhouse. I assumed that it was a room at the Ravenswood Academy and was a little confused when I finished the Invasion program and exited into...the Powerhouse lobby. This also plays into the next issue.

- There is a mention of the "Powerhouse" part way through the Invasion program (near the Police sergent you talk to after helping Mayor Bisselle - the one who gives you the 'save the civilians' mission). I can see a lot of new players thinking, "What the heck is a 'Powerhouse'??" Maybe have the lady who is the Academy person at the beginning give a brief description during her intro dialog (like 'You are currently under Millennium City in what we call the "Powerhouse". It is a place to test superpowers as well as train new skills." etc.

- Speaking of superpowers...and this was something the old tutorial was missing as well...why isn't there some mention why heroes have no super travel powers to start with? When I first started Champions Online years ago, I was really annoyed that the hero I just made couldn't fly. Why does he have to run everywhere to fight these alien bugs? I understand the reason for it now - but for gosh sake, at least SAY something about it before the new player starts the Invasion program. Something as simple as a couple sentences from PLATO saying, "The Qularr placed an energy dome over the invasion area which rendered all travel superpowers, like flight, inoperative. You will experience the same thing. You may use your travel powers again after seeing a trainer at the end of the simulation exercise." would really be a help. After all, that other superhero game (*cough* DCUO *cough*) gives players travel powers right off the bat. :wink: (Oh, and don't forget to ground Sapphire in the mission because of this - none of the other Champions are flying)

- Once done with the simulation, the player returns to the starting room. The very first mission listed in the Mission Window is "A new threat". This is really confusing as the player hasn't even spoken with the Academy lady to finish up the simulation experience. "Return to Academy representative" should be here instead. The "A new threat' mission shouldn't show until the player has finished the Powerhouse mission (the one that includes video watching, etc.) and Aura mission (see below).

- Speaking of the Powerhouse mission which has the player watch informative videos, the first two videos can be removed. They are redundant informational items covering how to use Power Builder attacks and 'press to build strength' attacks. These were covered very well right at the start of the Invasion simulation. Those videos are unneeded and confusing for someone who has just been using those very powers throughout the entire simulation. Removing them also speeds things along - avoiding bogging down a player who just wants to start having fun. :)

-And lastly, once the player finishes the Powerhouse intro mission mentioned above, it would be nice to work in where to get Auras at this point. Ideally, this would come as a new mission that would point the player at the Auras vendor right there in the Powerhouse so they could chose an Aura. It think this is a pretty big deal. After all, Auras are a price point item - something that makes money for the game - they should be pointed out early! :smiley: (then after this mission is finished, that's when the "A new threat" mission should pop up in the Mission Window).

Hope this feedback helps! :)
Post edited by captainhunter1 on

Comments

  • eiledoneiledon Posts: 1,287 Arc User
  • KagamiTheMagicalCatGerlKagamiTheMagicalCatGerl Posts: 357 Arc User
    - The objective arrow (the light blue on that points to mission objectives) needs a color change. It blends into background way often and for some reason running through the "new" tutorial today really made me notice that.


    - Blocking still isn't taught. It's mentioned yes, but it isn't taught at all. There is nothing in the tutorial that is enough of a threat to make the player block, and the final boss fight is too short considering that that was where the tutorial originally taught the player. And before anyone screams "LEET BUILD/LEET PLAYER", I was on a brand new Inferno archetype with no gear and all I did during that fight was stand there and spam my one attack just like any new player might do. At the start I got stunned for a bit, and was totally ready to block the next time something like that happened... but then the fight was over. At the very least, that boss needs to be buffed so the fight lasts long enough to teach the player anything, and unblocked attacks should hurt so the player actually gets the idea that blocking does something so that it's actually worth using. Also, the attacks where the player has to move need to hurt so the player actually learns that moving is meaningful in combat. Currently, the tutorial gives even the squishiest of players the impression that blocking is a waste of time when you could just spam attacks and be just as safe.


    - The mission that directs the player to watch the videos is neat, but the videos still don't explain enough. This tutorial explains less than other MMO tutorials do, while this game has more that needs to be explained.


    Also, give the player their travel power while still in the tutorial - having to to back to walking was awful, and you don't want players thinking this is just another "walk around until you get a mount" mmo.
  • crideasbanecrideasbane Posts: 14 Arc User
    I agree with everything posted so far.
  • nextnametakennextnametaken Posts: 2,212 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    - Once done with the simulation, the player returns to the starting room.

    Actually, it is a different room, there are windows in it and not windows in the other room.
    The same NPCs are there though so that makes it look copy/pastey.


    The tutorial videos shown in the powerhouse should be available in the intro room before the simulation takes place..

    Move the powerhouse Trainer forward of the simulation base (stick the Ravenswood nerds in the back of the room put some auras on them, they are currently LAME) and require getting the Video Mission before getting the PLATO mission. When they get the video mission they get a Ravenswood Perk and access to the system then the offer for the PLATO chat comes up, without forcing everyone to watch the videos every character they run to move forward. Just leave Video Star in their journal for the start of the game, they can watch it, drop it, access it again at Tutorial Socrates, access it again after exiting the simulation and access it again in the main powerhouse lobby.

    May as well make the powerhouse trainer useful in that tutorial exit room and level players to six there, instead of having a "head trainer" and "powerhouse trainer" and mob of characters with wings and powers all over for a player's first fudging with their base powers. Throw them in the main lobby at the end of all that so they can explore and find the aura vendor and tailor after getting their main super stat and travel power and a box of gear.
  • vonqballvonqball Posts: 923 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    I ran through the new tutorial out of curiosity... and it seemed like even more of a hack job than usual! Multiple characters speaking at once during the intro (typical). The mayor was floating about 6' in the air (I was just a little too tall to walk under him though).

    The end sequence made very little sense in the context of a simulation. What? You helped defender rebuild the simulated city? Fascinating...

    Wait, hack is filtered? These new forums...
  • newplayerguy7newplayerguy7 Posts: 61 Arc User
    The tutorial videos shown in the powerhouse should be available in the intro room before the simulation takes place..

    Actually I think the OP is right. The use of attack powers are covered inside the Qulaar scenario. And having the videos of travel powers and stuff before this wouldn't work well because as was said, we don't have any of those available to use during the tutorial.
  • SeschatSeschat Posts: 24 Arc User
    Just ran through again. Noted issues:
    Ironclad was not present at the Battle Of Ironclad open event.
    Bisselle is still floating 6+ feet off the ground.
    Why was Reggie the cat removed? That actually taught about item-linked missions.
    Agree with previous posters: Black Talon has turned into a wimp. Give him back about 90% of his previous lethality, so new players learn WHY blocking and moving are good ideas.
    Ending cinematic needs updating for new plot.

    Overall impression: every time the tutorial gets modified, it becomes smaller and less interesting.
    --
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  • scuttlepeak#4236 scuttlepeak Posts: 8 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    - Once done with the simulation, the player returns to the starting room.

    Actually, it is a different room, there are windows in it and not windows in the other room.
    The same NPCs are there though so that makes it look copy/pastey.

    Its not a different room. The windows makes the wall of the other rooms look transparent but they're still solid on the other side. If you go to the mobility testing room in PH you can also see info icons outside the training rooms.

    Edit: I agree with the Original Poster and yet another thing:
    Other than new mapping and voice acting there's nothing new in the tutorial.. I really thought they added something REALLY new. Like my friend said earlier today... The devs of CO are lazy.
    And the Ravenswood Academy in RenCen is just standing there for decoration... I thought you could enter the building to see the basic controls again like.. people explaining how things work. That would be great for new players so they can see things again when they didn't understand it within the simulation. At least it's good enough for Open-Air Roleplaying.
    This is not a post.
  • nextnametakennextnametaken Posts: 2,212 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    tgcplays wrote: »
    Its not a different room.
    It's totally a different room on a totally different map.
    Room A is a tiny lonely box on the Mil_Tutorial map and Room B is attached to the powerhouse on the Powerhouse_3 map with buggy windows that look into the other training room.
    If Room A had windows it would look into the infinite void beneath the tutorial map because that's whats outside the box.

    I couldn't see any info icons through walls anywhere.
    Motility training room is several hundred units in 3D space below the new tutorial exit chamber.
  • markhawkmanmarkhawkman Posts: 4,915 Arc User
    One thing I like a LOT is how the new tutorial explains charge and maintain powers. that confused me greatly when I first started playing. Oh and despite my best efforts I failed to get stuck in the debris littering the city.
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  • nextnametakennextnametaken Posts: 2,212 Arc User
    edited July 2015
    Oh and despite my best efforts I failed to get stuck in the debris littering the city.
    You missed a spot.



    Post edited by nextnametaken on
  • markhawkmanmarkhawkman Posts: 4,915 Arc User
    Hunh... I did in fact stand on that heap of debris. I guess I didn't stand there....
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  • nextnametakennextnametaken Posts: 2,212 Arc User
    You can walk directly under it from ground level.
  • markhawkmanmarkhawkman Posts: 4,915 Arc User
    ah I see. for whatever reason I was jumping on everything....
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  • slapperfishslapperfish Posts: 92 Arc User
    edited May 2021
    (deleted)
    Post edited by slapperfish on
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