Learning to play NS2
Strepto
Join Date: 2005-01-07 Member: 33571Members
Join Date: 2005-01-07 Member: 33571Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Could we make it easy and fun for new players to learn to play?</div>Natural Selection 2 will most likely be rough around the edges during the alpha and beta, and features that would help new players get into the game fast will probably be added late. To me that means that we, as a community, have alot of time to think about ways we can bring new players into the game, without overwhelming them with information.
I think that an in-game tutorial or training level would a straight forward way for players to get to know the game well enough to play online.
The ways I see this could work is as follows:
1. A boot camp style orientation map
2. A simulated training excercise (i.e. holographic or something)
3. A scripted mission with aliens and everything
A tutorial or training mission could also be done for people who want to try commanding, alien or marine.
Seeing how we'll relatively soon will have our hands on the tools for NS2, I think it would be good to start a debate about what you would like to see in the game in forms of tutorials/training. And with a little luck there might be some talented people who would like to work on it.
I think that an in-game tutorial or training level would a straight forward way for players to get to know the game well enough to play online.
The ways I see this could work is as follows:
1. A boot camp style orientation map
2. A simulated training excercise (i.e. holographic or something)
3. A scripted mission with aliens and everything
A tutorial or training mission could also be done for people who want to try commanding, alien or marine.
Seeing how we'll relatively soon will have our hands on the tools for NS2, I think it would be good to start a debate about what you would like to see in the game in forms of tutorials/training. And with a little luck there might be some talented people who would like to work on it.
Comments
I think that something like the tutorial found in "The Hidden" mod for HL2 would be very good for this game.
Would be good practice too.
But it definitely would be cool to see a tutorial of some sort later on after the game goes gold. Games like Quake 3 CPMA were very difficult for beginners because the advanced tactics like bunnyhopping and map control couldn't easily be summed up in a tutorial. NS2 will probably have many tactics that can only be learned through experience as well, but a tutorial at the least would prevent newbies from aimlessly wandering and being unsure of what exactly they're supposed to do.
Well, I pre-ordered the game and I've only played NS1 a couple of times to get the "feeling" of it.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great game and I was very impressed, but I got a bit confused about what I needed to do which sort of prevented me from playing the game again.
Im not saying that the beta/alpha should have this, but the final release should include some kind of tutorial if they don't want others to go through the same thing that Im going through right now with the first game.
I mutated into one of those flying things and got kicked! It seems i was wasting resources or something.. :(
Many, if not most, of the new players who will be joining our ranks in NS2 will have played TF2, a game which you can jump into and kill stuff with virtually no FPS experience. That is going to influence their opinion regarding NS2. Am I saying we should "dumb down" NS2 so that the most clueless noob can own faces in it? No. The game should be in depth. But it shouldn't be as harsh to newcomers as NS1 is, and if it is, much work should go into producing a tutorial or "boot camp" where players can pick up as much of the game as possible before being thrust onto the online stage.
1) people that played NS. they'll have a fair idea how to play already. a large proportion of players will be this, obviously.
2) people that play FPS. these are probably the ones you'll have to teach to play the RTS side, and the alien side. but they'll already have a good grip on the shooter side of things. possibly a larger proportion of players will be this.
3) everyone else. apart from say, people that play other action games and RTSs, this'll be rather negligible, imo. but it depends on the peak popularity, i guess - how many 'fresh' players there are. it would be good to help these players out too.
If it were a mini tutorial it can provide a backstory or something similar, such as aliens have infested the area, you are a marine whos trying to get out, small obstacles are infront of you such as jump the thing.
But realistically it would be probably better for a bootcamp for marines, shoot the targets, jump the pipes, crouch the pipes and whatnot
and for aliens you could be in a infested hive area, and the hivemind tasks you with things, such as morph into gorge and make resource tower,and evolve celerity so you can do a leap across the gap and so forth, even practice on munching some scientists? :P
That and the fact that the guy who made the mod was basically endorsing this really made me want to know how to play properly and it got me into competitive play when previously I was the clueless guy who ran in straight lines at marines and was the second gorge on the team who everyone shouted at.
I think a lot of people who still play now could do with some kind of strategy-education so this is probably a bit more advanced than "Resource towers make resources." which could easily be done through in-game HUD popups like L4D or TF2.. or the original NS, even.
I played NS years ago, but recently installed it again since I preordered NS2. It took me maybe 2hours total to get back into the game, asking friends, chat, settings. And I had almost forgotten everything, so new players won't feel that this game is too alien(pun intended).
BUT, if the dev team have time and will for an ingame bootcamp, go ahead, they are always fun. Perhaps it could be made like a little storymode, take the teaser as an example. Marine boards a ship, needs to head over to the controlroom, and on his way there he learns the controls, faces enemies, friendly/enemy buildings, you get the idea.
The idea is to maybe avoid combat with hostile aliens, but still get an idea of what they are
Idea for marine side:
- You get "wakes up" in a semi built marine start and a commander (the tutorial narrator) tells him some story about aliens taking over ship, need to take back the ship, blah blah, you get the idea
- You find out you were in a fight or something, lost memory, and his crew (1 or 2 marines + commander) has to teach him what to do again
- They teach him how to build and "use" and armory to get his hp back up (since he is still hurt from his fight)
- They are ordered to go out and start repairing the ship; RTs are explained at this point and possibly those power grid things
- Something dramatic happens. Maybe you go through a door and the bulkhead closes from infestation taking over the power, separating you from the rest of the squad. You need to get back
- It's dark, you learn to use your flashlight via commander talking in headset.
- You find out your in the infected side of the ship, and its a bit messed up. You learn how to jump and crouch to navigate obstacles.
- You wander around, and fight a gorge maybe that is building some chamber, commander explains gorge and chambers
- You walk through a vent infested area and skulks scurry across them (along with steam and flashing lights! scary!) commander explains
- You hear walk pass a room and it begins filling with lerk gas. Commander closes the bulkhead and explains lerks and why they are the most annoying things ever
- You go into a room and a fade or something blinks past, maybe hits you for good measure, and blinks away. Commander explains fade and drops you healthpack and ammo, explaining those as well
- You activate a power thing and opens up a supply type thing in the wall. Player picks up HMG and HA (or JP, whatever)
- You walk and go to a hallway that runs through a large room. Hallway has glass on both sides and upon looking out, you see a hive along, gorges running around, and a single egg.
- Commander explains hive and at end of explanation, onos emerges from egg. He spots you and charges the window, perhaps cracking it. (don't know the limitations of onos yet).
- Commander doesn't explain onos and tells you to get out of the hallway. You run around and possibly have an onos chase you (via glimpses of him behind a door before commander closes bulkhead). You finally get back to marine start and some other things could be explained (hive needs to be taken down to "win", etc).
This way the player learns basic FPS controls, structures and various marine pickups, aliens and their stuff, and get an idea of the atmosphere of the game. I figure a commander explanation (and catching a glimpse) is all you need for the aliens, except the onos, which seeing and having him chase you around gives you an idea plus gives you a feeling of the "oh ****" moments in the game.
Any feedback would be very appreciative.
The idea is to maybe avoid combat with hostile aliens, but still get an idea of what they are
Idea for marine side:
- You get "wakes up" in a semi built marine start and a commander (the tutorial narrator) tells him some story about aliens taking over ship, need to take back the ship, blah blah, you get the idea
- You find out you were in a fight or something, lost memory, and his crew (1 or 2 marines + commander) has to teach him what to do again
- They teach him how to build and "use" and armory to get his hp back up (since he is still hurt from his fight)
- They are ordered to go out and start repairing the ship; RTs are explained at this point and possibly those power grid things
- Something dramatic happens. Maybe you go through a door and the bulkhead closes from infestation taking over the power, separating you from the rest of the squad. You need to get back
- It's dark, you learn to use your flashlight via commander talking in headset.
- You find out your in the infected side of the ship, and its a bit messed up. You learn how to jump and crouch to navigate obstacles.
- You wander around, and fight a gorge maybe that is building some chamber, commander explains gorge and chambers
- You walk through a vent infested area and skulks scurry across them (along with steam and flashing lights! scary!) commander explains
- You hear walk pass a room and it begins filling with lerk gas. Commander closes the bulkhead and explains lerks and why they are the most annoying things ever
- You go into a room and a fade or something blinks past, maybe hits you for good measure, and blinks away. Commander explains fade and drops you healthpack and ammo, explaining those as well
- You activate a power thing and opens up a supply type thing in the wall. Player picks up HMG and HA (or JP, whatever)
- You walk and go to a hallway that runs through a large room. Hallway has glass on both sides and upon looking out, you see a hive along, gorges running around, and a single egg.
- Commander explains hive and at end of explanation, onos emerges from egg. He spots you and charges the window, perhaps cracking it. (don't know the limitations of onos yet).
- Commander doesn't explain onos and tells you to get out of the hallway. You run around and possibly have an onos chase you (via glimpses of him behind a door before commander closes bulkhead). You finally get back to marine start and some other things could be explained (hive needs to be taken down to "win", etc).
This way the player learns basic FPS controls, structures and various marine pickups, aliens and their stuff, and get an idea of the atmosphere of the game. I figure a commander explanation (and catching a glimpse) is all you need for the aliens, except the onos, which seeing and having him chase you around gives you an idea plus gives you a feeling of the "oh ****" moments in the game.
Any feedback would be very appreciative.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
An alien side of the tutorial would be even better. Say we end the marine tutorial at where the you see the hive and before the commander explains the hive.
- Screen goes black and the player wakes up as a skulk.
- The hive itself or a virtual alien commander explains the hive.
- You go through an obstacle course where you learn about the alien lifeforms.
- At the end you reach the bottom of a vertical tunnel with only a ladder and a onos stuck there because it can't climb the ladder.
- The marine you've been using is alone above but out of ammo after using everything on the onos. This tutorial then ends with you fighting and killing a knife-wielding marine bot.
Also, instead of having a voice explaining everything, use the L4D style of having labels and arrows pointing at the objects and telling the player what to do with them. At the base/hive, everything would be labelled and a short text explaining functions.
At the hive I imagine there would be inactive models of all the lifeforms with short explanations of what they do. This can also be explained by saying that they are guarding/camping the hive. The same can also be done with Jetpackers and Heavy Armour-wearing marines. I'm assuming these will be in NS2 here but they can be changed according to what is really available.