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Fallen Earth Dev Journals: Revamping the New Player Experience
The team from over at Icarus Studios has provided us with this developer journal discussing the changes that the company is making to the new player experience in their new MMORPG, Fallen Earth.
By Guest Writer on October 27, 2009
When the Fallen Earth development team decided to revisit new player content and events just after launch for Patch 1.1.0, it was a big question mark on a roadmap to fun. The game launched with a tutorial, meant to give players a taste of upper-level play while teaching them basic game mechanics before jumping into a sandbox-style experience. Instead, some players noted that at the end of the tutorial, they felt like they had been pushed out into a wide-open world full of choices--and it was overwhelming. But how would the developers balance the desire for more of an introduction without sacrificing the "challenge" they worked so hard to inspire?
Initially, the developers worked to create a dramatic, story-driven tutorial that would teach basic game mechanics while introducing players to the plot of Fallen Earth. Some things, such as crafting and harvesting, weren't explained in the tutorial because it slowed down the experience and broke pace with the rest of the narrative. It was also important to create an experience in which players could focus on mechanics instead of getting distracted by group play. Lastly, players mounted an ATV and rode out of Hoover Dam in the tutorial without really knowing much about vehicles or how they work.
The result? Some players enjoyed the solo instance of the tutorial, but felt abandoned when they moved immediately to a world full of choices. They lacked understanding about vehicles and mounts. And they felt unequipped to handle crafting, which is a huge component of the game (players can make 95 percent of game items).
;)
When the developers revisited the tutorial and the new player experience, the goal was to introduce new content in a way that wouldn't diminish the challenge of MMOs that many veteran players enjoy. They began to envision the process as a funnel, where the solo instance of the tutorial was the small end. The content they wanted to add would provide a few more choices and serve as a buffer between the solo instance and the unlimited choices players would face when they entered the world. And with an additional 30-45 minutes of game play, players would get enough practice on the game mechanics to feel more confident when moving into such a wide-open space.
The new content brings players into their chosen starter town at Level 1, just after completing the tutorial. Players have a mission automatically placed in their logs to speak with the LifeNet Operator there. The Operator will offer players a choice of receiving additional training or skipping training. If they opt out of training, they will be leveled up as usual. The choice allows players completing training missions to enjoy a streamlined experience and easily continue with normal gameplay in their starter town as soon as they complete the training.
The Operator offers to create an attachment for the clone collar that all players wear in the game which will provide a long-lasting but temporary health boost. The player is sent to scavenge through some spare LifeNet parts. After being introduced to scavenging, the player can choose to accept other missions for additional training and a crash course in attributes, mutations, use of AP and character builds. Upon returning to the Operator, who has been at work on the attachment for the collar, the player finds one vital piece has been stolen. He engages in a bounty hunter mission to find the thief, kill him and return with the missing part. As part of this mission, the player encounters the first horse bridle, leading to some additional experience with mounts and the garage system, before returning to the Operator to complete a few more tasks. The added play time helps acquaint players with more challenging missions (such as the bounty hunter mission) by providing a training ground before entering world.
;)
The new player content also gave the developers a chance to explain some things that would have slowed the dramatic pace of the tutorial. The basics of crafting and harvesting were introduced, and players have a chance to learn more about vehicles, mounts and the garage system.
Patch 1.1.0 also provided the opportunity to evaluate town events (public events in which players can accept missions to affect and progress the series of events). The events needed streamlining: cosmetic fixes, structural changes and significant revamps. The developers specifically tackled Clinton FARM, Oilville, Embry Crossroads, Boneclaw, St. Sebastian's and Bankers Hole.
Many of the finale events were also revisited. Players found Town Event Finale missions confusing because they suggested that an attack would be immediate. The development team made changes, splitting Town Event Finale missions into two types. First, players get a mission from the Town Event Manager that shows current scores in the event while they remain on the town's server. Once all the category scores are maxed, this mission succeeds and chains to another mission. The second mission succeeds or fails based on whether any NPCs survive the attack.
Evaluating the new player experience and town events is another exercise in the developer's log. Feedback and comments from players continually help refine the process and push the game to be more engaging, accessible and fun for all involved.
Check out more new player experience screenshots, here.
I don't know that the New Player Experience (why do three word labels for game changes make me uneasy...) was a necessary addition, but I don't think, as it has been described, does any real harm to the game. Part of the charm, at least for me, was not having every little detail spelled out for me. Having to figure some things out on my own, or ask other players who had figured them out, added a certain quality to the world that other recent games have either just flat out ignored or genuinely lost.
I have to agree that I felt a little lost when i got out into the world and had trouble "getting going". I think the adjustment of the tutorial are very needed to teach more aspects of the game, but not hold my hand so to speak. Im enjoying my game experience so far and it a refreshing breath of freash air to the fantasty mmo genre.
(AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH raises plunger in Salute to the Fallen Earth Developers)
I think the new player experience revamp was highly needed. While it didnt take me long to figure things out, there are players out there not used to this style of gaming and do feel overwhelmed. Adding an additional 30 minutes or so of tutorial is not a bad thing. It helps people like my gf (who refuses to ask me for help) to get into the game
I agree it was a needed change. I had NO idea what to do with mutations in beta: how to get them, improve them, or use them. I am sure others were clueless in other areas. This was a good move.
I havent played the turorial in a while they show more about mutations? Cuz Im still kinda confused about them, not how to use them but where to find different ones all Ive seen were just the better versions of the ones you start with. All I know is that there is ones that are faction based but IDK where else to find other ones to uses besides the upgrades.
The new tutorial/1st level training missions are pretty good at helping you figure out things like mutations, crafting, and such. Also, you get a mount half through the missions. I think adding this will help greatly with retention because the old way could and did get a lot of people extremely frustasted to the point of quitting
AFAIK, factions from S2 onwards are the ONLY places to get the advanced mutations. Only the alpha mutations are readily available elsewhere.
Which reminds me, now that I've actually put some points into Suppression, I should probably go visit the Suppression trainer and see what abilities I have enough skill for.
I liked being thrown out into the world and feeling a little overwelmed by all the possibilities and things I didn't know. That's what stimulates my brain and makes me think.
But that is not for everyone. For people like you and I, they give us the option to skip the new player experience and jump right into things. For people like my gf, they have the new player experience to help them get familiar with what to do
i realy dont think it need to be changed ath all,
The thing is ppl just rush true ewry thing i didt hawe any problems whit the game ath all i love that its this way it gives you a bit of a challenge to learn the game
But I spended allot of my time helping ppl out in game and usaly the problem was that ppl didt Read the Tutorial instructions that the quest's gave? almost ewry time i got this response from the new players, Oh! im sry im soo stupid i didt read the quest or instructions proply,
but this started as soon the free trails came on and new ppl started to pure in and wanted a quick way to start testing the game out and ingoring the Tutorial usaly this are 10 year old kids thinking this is a Wow game yes sry to take Wow up but its true this game is for a mature players,
and why i didt hawe any problems whit the game and learnd it fast was becouse i took my time reading the instructions and quests or asked ppl out if there was still something i didt know i took me 1 and half day to learn the game and thats less what it should
and yes there are players out there not used for this style of gaming and do feel overwhelmed when getting out but thats what the help channel are for, helping ppl out if they still didt figure it out But this is what this game stands out for this is not Wow or any other mmorpg this is Fallen Earth it gives you that i need to earn my knowleage for the game and not get ewry thing handed to you like ppl are used to
But i might be wrong but this is what i think and feel and ive playd allot of mmorpgs and this is By far the best MMORPG ive playd since SWG pre nge and im staying for a long time and thats for sure
I think it is BAD game design to make things obscure. It is NOT hand-holding to give information about all the systems & game mechanics in the game. It is only hand-holding when there are no choice.
The choice of doing watever is still there, and won't be affected by adding more tutorial material.
But that is not for everyone. For people like you and I, they give us the option to skip the new player experience and jump right into things. For people like my gf, they have the new player experience to help them get familiar with what to do
Which is fine, I just hope they don't get too carried away with introducing new "tutorials" to make other areas easy step 1-2-3. There has to be be a good amount of things remaining that folks have to learn by trial and error to keep with their initial vision for the game. That's a part of what makes it "different" from the AAA standard faire being rushed to release these days.
The sense of accomplishment figuring something out on your own just seems way more gratifying than having someone look over your shoulder and tell you step by step what to do. Least it is for me and no doubt many for whom this game was targeted*.
*Guess based on how the game was initially created.
Which is fine, I just hope they don't get too carried away with introducing new "tutorials" to make other areas easy step 1-2-3. There has to be be a good amount of things remaining that folks have to learn by trial and error to keep with their initial vision for the game. That's a part of what makes it "different" from the AAA standard faire being rushed to release these days.
The sense of accomplishment figuring something out on your own just seems way more gratifying than having someone look over your shoulder and tell you step by step what to do. Least it is for me and no doubt many for whom this game was targeted*.
*Guess based on how the game was initially created.
I don't think these devs would do that, the other day I was in help chat and someone was asking how to get into lokis door, and the GMs were discouraging players from telling them, letting them know there was a "trick" to getting in the door but not divulging the secret. I think overall the Devs want to keep the quirks and secrets to certain things in the game, but they want to at least give players the initial tools to discover them all.
I agree that this was needed. Its not a huge change, but it is a better transition from linear training to total sandbox.
Which is fine, I just hope they don't get too carried away with introducing new "tutorials" to make other areas easy step 1-2-3. There has to be be a good amount of things remaining that folks have to learn by trial and error to keep with their initial vision for the game. That's a part of what makes it "different" from the AAA standard faire being rushed to release these days.
The sense of accomplishment figuring something out on your own just seems way more gratifying than having someone look over your shoulder and tell you step by step what to do. Least it is for me and no doubt many for whom this game was targeted*.
*Guess based on how the game was initially created.
I truly think there is a difference between having a tutorial for some of the basic game mechanics and them removing the sense of accomplishment for figuring out things on your own. I dont see them hand holding throughtout the game. 30 mins of extra tutorial on crafting, mutations, mounts, and a few very basic missions is a far cry from what AAA games do. Once you are done with the new player experience (if you even choose to do it), then you are back to your own devices with the basic knowledge of what you need to do to survive.
You gotta admit, 3 words can be scary in the mmorpg market especially if you were a SWG player. LOL!
Couldn't they think of something better than calling it the NPE. haha
[NPE] New Player Experience (Fallen Earth) and not [NGE] New Game Enhancements (SWG)
I am a new player, as a newbie I read every step of the tutorial and quests and it helped out quite a bit. I didn't get to start FE until the retail version came out at my local Gamestop. I didn't get to go thru the new tutorial yet only the one with the atv..so it would be helpful probably for me to restart a new character and go thru it again so i can learn how to get a horse and get a free horse since right now i'm horseless still at level 7. also learning a bit about the other crafts like mutations which i have no clue on and some of the other stuff would greatly help I think the avg newbie player just coming in. Although for me I did learn quite a bit on my own and everyone was very helpful in help chat. Learning about the nodes an all that would be really useful as well and how you get the ability to harvest them specificially.
Just my thoughts as a newbie...still enjoying FE...
I agree full heartedly,but i noticed right away,harvesting was nodes shown easily on map,so no thinking or exploration excitement.
Npc's were easily found,all spread around the town,very static setup,so again no thinking needed or exploration.The only thing i needed to know was how to get crafting started,and it was not bad but a little misleading.They need to make it a lot more clear as to what you are buying from the npc's.
Anyhow after i figured out pretty much all you need to know in the whole game in the very first day,i was completely bored,as i found nothing involved thinking at all,it was just a search and seek out nodes/recipes and quests.That is the whole game in a nut shell,no thinking at all.
Crafting is no thinking and combat is no thinking,you can clearly see your best weapon damage,there was no in depth combat system.I guess utilizing realistic weapons is not going to be much thinking involved you point and click.I guess i am used to Fantasy type combat utilizing combos and team work and having the basic tank/healer/dps setup,anything less now seems too simplistic ,i can't get into it.
Basically i found the entire game had zero thinking,just remembering where the heck you were and where certain NPC's were.I was not overwhelmed with possibilities as imo there is almost nothing to do or explore[vast barren land is not exploring]and every town had the same generic look/feel so again no excitement from exploring..I was more overwhelmed with how much junk i collected in a very short time and yet i still could not complete anything to craft,i was always short one item.How can you have over a 100 items and can't make anything? lol.well i could make relish .:(
I agree full heartedly,but i noticed right away,harvesting was nodes shown easily on map,so no thinking or exploration excitement.
Npc's were easily found,all spread around the town,very static setup,so again no thinking needed or exploration.The only thing i needed to know was how to get crafting started,and it was not bad but a little misleading.They need to make it a lot more clear as to what you are buying from the npc's.
Anyhow after i figured out pretty much all you need to know in the whole game in the very first day,i was completely bored,as i found nothing involved thinking at all,it was just a search and seek out nodes/recipes and quests.That is the whole game in a nut shell,no thinking at all.
Crafting is no thinking and combat is no thinking,you can clearly see your best weapon damage,there was no in depth combat system.I guess utilizing realistic weapons is not going to be much thinking involved you point and click.I guess i am used to Fantasy type combat utilizing combos and team work and having the basic tank/healer/dps setup,anything less now seems too simplistic ,i can't get into it.
Basically i found the entire game had zero thinking,just remembering where the heck you were and where certain NPC's were.I was not overwhelmed with possibilities as imo there is almost nothing to do or explore[vast barren land is not exploring]and every town had the same generic look/feel so again no excitement from exploring..I was more overwhelmed with how much junk i collected in a very short time and yet i still could not complete anything to craft,i was always short one item.How can you have over a 100 items and can't make anything? lol.well i could make relish .:(
You gotta set yourself goals in the game and not hopelessly run around in S1 or S2 and hope for the best that you get the right materials for crafting.
You seem like a pretty educated person and I am pretty sure you used waypoints in the game to map certain mats that you need to level in.
If crafting is not your gamestyle, then forget everything I just said. But if crafting is one of your focuses in game, find out which starter town has the best missions for receipe books in which you want to level in and take it from there.
On another note, there are many AP missions scattered across S1, unless you used a waypoint source of information from another user and where they have found the AP's missions, I would say your one damn good explorer since I missed alot in S1 and some AP missions are from NPC's where you would least expect them to be.
Believe me, I had to use my brain just on simple things like constructing my 1st rifle and finding the mats and skill to level in and also had to find the skill in which to make ammo for my rifle and level in the skill as well.
Its not rocket science, but you still got to use your noggin.
I agree full heartedly,but i noticed right away,harvesting was nodes shown easily on map,so no thinking or exploration excitement.
Npc's were easily found,all spread around the town,very static setup,so again no thinking needed or exploration.The only thing i needed to know was how to get crafting started,and it was not bad but a little misleading.They need to make it a lot more clear as to what you are buying from the npc's.
Anyhow after i figured out pretty much all you need to know in the whole game in the very first day,i was completely bored,as i found nothing involved thinking at all,it was just a search and seek out nodes/recipes and quests.That is the whole game in a nut shell,no thinking at all.
Crafting is no thinking and combat is no thinking,you can clearly see your best weapon damage,there was no in depth combat system.I guess utilizing realistic weapons is not going to be much thinking involved you point and click.I guess i am used to Fantasy type combat utilizing combos and team work and having the basic tank/healer/dps setup,anything less now seems too simplistic ,i can't get into it.
Basically i found the entire game had zero thinking,just remembering where the heck you were and where certain NPC's were.I was not overwhelmed with possibilities as imo there is almost nothing to do or explore[vast barren land is not exploring]and every town had the same generic look/feel so again no excitement from exploring..I was more overwhelmed with how much junk i collected in a very short time and yet i still could not complete anything to craft,i was always short one item.How can you have over a 100 items and can't make anything? lol.well i could make relish .:(
The whole tank/healer/dps setup has gotten to that "bored to tears" stage with me. I can see where some folks are comfortable with it and prefer it, but I certainly can live without ever seeing it in the established MMO form again. There are actually quite a few combat abilities in the game so that you don't just click your attack all the time. While they may not be necessary against regular mobs, they most certainly are useful against Elite, Boss and Master mobs. I've tried fighting Elites (Hunter Elites around Spider Hill that were level 20 (I'm 19) without using them and then with using them. There is a marked difference in the amount of time and ease of taking them down. I would imagine adding Mutations into the mix would create more options to tackle opponents.
I'm not saying the game is rocket science. No MMO is. In every p2p mmo you can see the stats on gear and pick the ones with the best stats. Whether it's picking the best damage weapon available in FE or picking a +5 Flame damage weapon to go into the Ice Dungeon in X fantasy MMO, it's the same amount of thought, or lack of thought, going into it. Although, AC1 was nice in that they had a ton of different mobs that were vulnerable to different types and combos of damage (Luigians hated lightning damage, Gromnies hated piercing, and others even hated combos of the various damage types), but they way of thinking is a lost art for today's MMO developers in my estimate.
Adding more to their tutorial certainly isnt a bad thing and can only be viewed in a positive light, especially as the people more capable of figuring things out for themselves can easily skip it all. However I agree with what Khalathwyr said earlier in the thread. I'm hoping this doesnt start creeping into other areas of the game. Sorry to sound snobbish but to put it bluntly it would be a shame for Icarus to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
Yeah when you first set foot in the game you can feel slightly unsure of where to go and what to do but come on its not THAT confusing. Fallen Earth really isnt that complicated to play. There are some things when first encountered that do require a little bit of thought but once you've gotten past the initial minor hurdle its really very easy to understand. Complicated crafting system that needs a deep explanation? No it isnt. Get recipe book, use it, select recipe, see what you need, get the stuff in your inventory, click create. Whats hard about that? Its the same as most mmos. The same goes for the "challenging hunting missions". How difficult can it be to move your avatar towards a red cross on the map that updates when you reach it?
To be honest I think a lot of players brains have become rotten and lazy from being subjected to one simplistic mmo after another which practicly tells them what to do and where to go. Its quite rare to see a complex mmo.......and Fallen Earth isnt even all that complex anyway.
yah, but you might not have noticed, in-game tons of people constantly asked questions, and those who get no answers probably don't re-sub.
This is a way to get people more familiar with the game.
Granted, it actually isn't hard at all to figure out stuff on your own, but people have been indoctrinated by wow.
for god sakes people, there is no quest helper anymore, try to walk on your own!
I found that the main issue with the New Player Experience was that it was released buggy. I had to restart the game to make a mutation skill show up in my mutations skills section. Many of the nodes could not be harvested and I had to relog several times because it would start rubberbanding. Also, once they added the New Player Experience, the rocket launcher in the tutorial stopped showing up for me and I had to relog to pick it up.
Once you get to the end of the New Player Experience, you just feel generally unsatisfied. The name implies like it is much more than what it is. It is about 10 or so quests that are extremely easy and basic. They are normal quests that basically showed me where to find my skills in the menus and told me what skillbooks were. There wasn't a feeling of storyline. It was basically bland and uninspired. I was expecting at least the quality of the tutorial. I got a low quality experience that should have never been titled and should have instead just been mentioned in passing in the patch notes.
“I’m late, I’m late for a terribly important date” said Mr New Player. Where oh where is Mr New Player going? Has he decided to only play the game for a month and has to cram as many carrots in his mouth as he can before he leaves? This obsession with doing everything in the quickest time possible is the bane of MMO’s.
It is not a race, playgirl bunnies are not waiting at a finish line to hand you a prize gold carrot. You will get to end game and go “What’s up doc?” because there will be far less to do. So take a step back, put your stopwatch away and enjoy yourselves.
Really hoping we get a European server, but not in a mad white rabbit rush for one. :)
So, with the new player experience, does this make Fallen Earth more playable?
I have been following this game for awhile now. Hanging out at the forums and listening to what people are saying. More and more I want to buy this game. The tutorial is a good idea for new players to become familiar with the game. Like someone else said, people that are new to this type of game will get a basic understanding on how the mechanics work.
I think they are doing a good job listening to the players and understanding their needs.
Every game needs player access to instructions.
If no one teaches you the rules of a game how they hell can you be expected to play it?