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The Daily Grind: How would you improve tutorials?

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

Yesterday on Massively Speaking we had a lively discussion about what we dislike in MMO tutorials (the popups, oh the popups!) and how we'd improve them. But we are just a few humble souls slaving over old-fashioned typewriters, while you are a legion of computer-savvy geeks who have timed the wild, wild web. So how would you improve tutorials?

Keep in mind that MMO tutorials can and should be aimed at two different demographics: those who have never played online RPGs before and those who are experienced genre vets who are giving this game a go. Introducing a newcomer to the genre in such a way that he or she is not scared off is trickier than you might suspect, especially in the era of Angry Birds accessibility. What could be done to ease new players into the games? How could tutorials better transmit the information that you truly need and skip the stuff that you don't?

Let's brainstorm today! No idea is too silly, except for the sixth, 20th, and 41st comments. Those are just wack.

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: How would you improve tutorials? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Happy Newb Year!

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Opinion, Roleplaying, Humor, Wings Over Atreia

Oh, that feeling when a game is new and everything is an adventure! Say what you will, but I cherish those moments of still being a newb and getting to experience things for the first time while exploring a new world (mind you, that is newb as in "new person," not n00b meaning "hopelessly moronic"). The problem is, once you have been in a game for a while, that whole aura dissipates and you lose that feeling of wonder. I envy those just now coming to Aion, as those of us who have been here for the past two plus years have lost that initial excitement. And when you've lost that newbie feeling, then it's gone, gone, gone, whoa whoa whoa...

Or is it?

When you have played the game for a long period of time, you tend to settle into a rut that is hard to break out of. Log in, do dailies, do arenas, do dredge. Toss in a siege. Rinse and repeat. In the past, Wings Over Atreia has delved into some of the reasons to stay in game when things become a bit monotonous and we sludge through some of the more difficult times. But why should we sludge? Why not find ways to make Aion more interesting when you hit that plateau?

Some players have done just that. A little creativity (and sometimes some really insane friends) can really make a difference and bring back that newbie feeling -- or at least make things interesting while adding some variety to gaming.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Happy Newb Year!

Wings Over Atreia: Happy Newb Year! originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aventurine tweaking Darkfall's newbie experience

Jef Reahard — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, News items, Dev Diaries

Darkfall can be pretty intimidating for newbs, and that's before they're killed and stripped of all their meager belongings. The game's learning curve is considerable, whether it's the unconventional UI or the vast world of Agon and the lack of themepark-style direction from one area to the next.

Aventurine's latest activity report indicates that the dev team is hard at work on improving the new user experience. Over half of the game's quests (yes, it does have them, even though it's a sandbox) have been rewritten, and many new training quests are being added. Starting areas will also be seeing some changes in the upcoming relaunch campaign. New characters will no longer choose from three starting towns; instead, they'll begin in a single racial capital city. Additionally, NPC racial vendors will offer the same services regardless of whether they're located in the capital or the outlying faction towns.

The activity report also drops a few hints about new art assets (including the infernal image above) as well as the new armor specialization system that is currently under development. Check out the Darkfall Epic Blog for further details.

Aventurine tweaking Darkfall's newbie experience originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ten levels of RIFT: A guide to your first day in Telara

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Hands-on, RIFT, Guides

With two RIFT beta events under my belt, I was given the supreme honor of creating a guide to the first 10 levels of the game. Naturally, I fell apart under the stress, assumed the fetal position for a couple days while whimpering about "frame rates," and then was prodded into action by our editors. That's quite literally "prodded," mind you -- Massively purchased a pair of cattle prods last year at a police auction. It's going to be years until the scorch marks fade from my spine.

The purpose of this guide is two-fold. First, we want to give anyone who's interested in RIFT but couldn't get into the beta a chance to vicariously experience RIFT's newbie path. Second, while RIFT is careful to hold your hand during your first steps into Telara, there are always a lot of things that can be easily missed while one is partaking in the wonders of a new virtual world. So this guide is here to share a few tips and pointers that beta testers may have missed.

What are you waiting for? Roll up a new character by hitting the jump!

Continue reading Ten levels of RIFT: A guide to your first day in Telara

Ten levels of RIFT: A guide to your first day in Telara originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall details their plans for the future and North American servers

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Darkfall, Business models, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, News items, PvE

Developer Tasos Flambouras of the Darkfall team stopped by the official Darkfall forums again with a lengthy update concerning pretty much everything under the sun for Darkfall -- from cheating to future updates -- all in one large swoop.

One of the big notes of the post is the acknowledgement of a North American server coming down the pipes, but coming with restrictions to character transfers. Original plans detailed that characters from the European server could transfer off onto the American server (as North American players are certainly playing the European version right now) but this transfer will now be delayed by several months. So, if you're itching to get off of EU-1, looks like you might be waiting for a while unless you wish to create a new character on NA-1.

Past the new server, Tasos has outlined some of the priorities for the Darkfall team, including an enhanced newbie experience, improvements to the economy, upcoming improvements to the solo and group experience, and improvements to the game's PvE system to name a few. While exact details haven't been given, it's nice to know that things like this are on the developer's "to do" list for future updates.

The full post containing all of the juicy details can be read over at the official Darkfall forums.

[Via Hardcore Casual]

Darkfall details their plans for the future and North American servers originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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