13 September Update

I'm just gonna say it now. Not to be rude but...

If they're so stupid as to need a giant sign to tell them to "GO HERE" because they didn't read the quest, then they're morons who don't deserve to play video games at all.

I'm looking at YOU Yogcast.

Edit: Also, blocking off access to the beam until they get their gear is a great idea. No need for big fat text. Kids today need to stop clinging to games holding their hands so much.

 

I just now got to see how ships in Starbound will work, it looks really nice and simple (reminds me of FTL ship rooms).
From the first glance I can't say i like that texty solution, the labels are too bold, intrusive and wider than the locker door inself and the fuel bay cap.

However, when i think of it, it bothers me just because its constantly there, fixated on the ship tech things. What if the labels were triggered by a specific event like mouse hover or player proximity?

Here's what i imagine:

 

...Or you could make it part of the tutorial. Make the beam disabled at the very start - "circuits burned out". And you have to go to your locker to get a spare part and replace it to fix the beam. I think people will understand that the box that's different from the background is probably the locker, even without text. At most, it could take a couple of minutes to figure out.

 

If I could remove those labels and change the place of locker and beam in the ship, that is fine. If not, then I need to point out that I hate the idea of beam being so far from the cockpit. You could add some place for sleeping at the end of the ship and start player there is you need a player to first walk through the locker on the way to the beam. And yeah, those texts are not so nice...

 

It is pity that nowadays's players do not know or just don't follow intuitively some basic rules of any not-arcade game, such as "always examine your environment" or "check the corners and dark places" for example, but rather just rush into game.

Anyway, some sort of resolving this beginner's issue(beaming down to planet's surface without knowing about the locker) is to put some item in locker that SHOULD be consumed activates beaming device(Personal Identification Chip that should be swallowed), so character's ship "knows" his master and can not beam up any other player without master's permission(like invite in a group, for example)

 

yes, there is to much text But maybe in the tutorial, if its saying "get youre gear" you can make the locker flash so they see that that is the locker. if they have their gear than the beamer flashes so they know they need to use that now. so they also learn in Tutorials what the things on your ship do, and than you don't have all that text in youre ship Just an Idea, Hope you read this. sorry for the bad english ps: the game looks great !

 

If people don't bother reading the tutorial, then they deserve to die like the noobs they are.
However, if you insist on making the very beginning more obvious to new players, then I have a few ideas:

• A quest marker pointing towards the locker.

• A popup asks if you really want to beam down to the planet's surface without checking out the locker first.

• Mousing over parts of the ship would bring up text displaying what it is called.

 

It might've been nice to have had a comparison pic to look at. I honestly have no idea what the lockers looked like before the labels were added, frankly because I wasn't looking for a locker. That said, I can't say whether adding labels it better or not because I have no basis for comparison.

I agree with option 1 and 3. However, I can see people potentially growing frustrated with option 2, especially if they decide to play rogue-like style and make a new character upon death. Yes, I know there are people out there who would more than likely do that.

 

I'm sure it's been said before, but I think this idea is a great one. People who immediately come in should simply not be able to do anything at the access control until they get the passkey for their ship. Some ideas on it:

• A passkey would have the player's name, the player's ship name and a random 64 hex number (or something unique), maybe be able to make custom logos for your ships? I know the art team loves adding art assets for players to customize.
• Being able to give your ship identification code to other players. Maybe have a list of shared codes on a PDA or other menu?
• If you have someone's ship code you should be able to set your ship to track its current location in the universe, and to have your ship automatically follow it
• Ability to disable said tracking to individuals
• Have engines automatically spool up when the ship they're following starts to spool. If the player is on the planet, it'll wait for them.
• If you have a player's passkey and they're orbiting the planet you're on you can go on their ship.

I'm not sure how the game is set up for when a person tries to go to another planet with a another player aboard. I'm guessing their ship just arrives instantly?

 

That text is a great idea!

 

Might just be me, but personally id like some kind of alien text to be seen around space, or used in general. that can be translated when the player is close to it Something like the dead space Unitology font

 

I don't get it.. Why sandbox games refuses to make tutorial like all the other games ? Terrari a, : albion prelude ( or all of the serie) , Cubeworld, minecraft.... don't take time to introduce the basics mechanics of the game.
And it is sooo easy to do that :

a simple tuto like that not only allow you dev, to explain the basic rules of your game but it allow you to reuse it to explain futur rules anywhere in the game : arena rules, a specifics news mechanics for futur extension for exemple. DO such an tutorial interface like i did and it will solve your present problem and futur one.

 

There are some great ideas here to avoid the "LOOK HERE" thing. Like the press Shift to show characters

 

Personally I'd find that more annoying than helpful, i mean logically people following this game get the idea of how it works, and considering the ship only consists of 3 or 4 clickable things, then its unlikely they'll get confused on how to play xD

 

Frankly, it's TOO obvious. They're too large, out of place, and just all around glaring and unappealing. As something that's temporary or preferably could be toggled on and off it's fine, but as a permanent feature it's grating and hurts those ship designs you put work into designing. Pretty much any of the alternatives suggested have been an improvement over this.

 

I like it. I'm so excited for this game!

 

today it is two or three clikable things, tomorrow it will be four, six, ten ?
No, Devs must have a tool to guide the players whenever they want to, and that' s why ALL other type of games make tutorials...not for the pleasure but because it is necessary to have a successfull game that can be understood by everyone. A lot of friend of mine do not play terraria because they do not understand the basics and do not have the patience to look at youtube for tuto...

 

I don't like it.
i guess it's neccessary, but please, let us disable it once we don't need it anymore

 

Suggestion:
Instead of floaty texts and quest markers and compass that plays the game for you and gives you free food and hugs, just make it so that the player can't beam down if he hasn't taken his stuff from the locker.
Honestly, it is player's fault they 'skip ALL text' > proceed to 'blame the game for ALL the confusings'

Of course this is 21st century and young players have never played ADOM etc., so maybe they need this.


All in all, I don't think it is bad if players beam down and are 'confused', they will one day find out 'what to do', and they will realize that it was their own fault, not the game's, because it was written white on black, what to do.

Quoted for the truth:

Also, now i'm hungry for some reason.

 

I think it would be cool if it was an option. So like, if you're doing the tutorial for the first time then it's there, but it gives you the option to remove the text for second time players or...you know...people who think they'd know anyway. xD
I'm sure someone else already said this but 17 pages. xD Nopenopenope.