Tutorials and teaching new players

[ThePandanator2]

Not sure if this has been suggested before, but I think tutorials should be a must in this game. As this game grows, it's inevitable that we are going to attract very many players. Players who possibly, like myself, have little to no experience with the Age of Sail. When I first started playing the game, I relied heavily on youtube videos by various talented and experienced youtubers who so graciously shared their knowledge with us.

 

However, there is no better teacher than experience! So, I think we should have a series tutorials within the game that teach the new players what's what and how to play. When open world comes along, this will be essential too, in order to teach the players all the aspects of open world and how to play each part. Here are some ideas I have on tutorials.

 

Basic tutorial

This is your basic, first experience in the game tutorial. You learn basic controls, how to control your ship, what various buttons and gadgets on the HUD and menu do. Essentially, whatever is needed to get the player started on a basic level. 

 

Advanced sailing tutorial

Here, our sailors learn the finer points of sailing. Manual sails, maneuvers, maybe even strategies. This tutorial can be later in the game, once the player reaches the Brig or whatever square sail ship is first. 

 

Specializations tutorial

Players will learn about the different routes they can take as a sailor in this tutorial. They'll learn about roles, what they'll be doing in each role, perks/benefits and downfalls. This one is absolutely necessary in open world in order to educate our sailors on what they'll be doing, so they make the right decision for themselves. 

 

These are just a few ideas, and there are a lot of things that a tutorial should cover, making lots of tutorials a possibility, but we want our sailors out at sea, not practicing in the port! For this reason, I also think that there should be little tips within the gameplay, giving the players bits of advice as they progress through the game. These tips should be small, and should be unobtrusive and able to be turned off at any time.

 

These are some of my ideas on teaching those fresh seamen, what do you guys think we should have to help out the new sailor?

[Balsafer]

I know a few members in this community have put together a few youtube videos showing how to sail. 

[Deno]

I have recently just started playing the game so I am not a pro. That said I had an idea regarding a training room. Like you would select at the bottom PVP, PVE etc but instead "Training" this would be a room that would allow Captains to go in and work on sailing such as manual sails, tacking, general ship handling such as speed. Maybe setup some floating barrels for target practice. 

 

This is just a thought, this would give a proper place to learn much needed skills for new players to test these skills.

 

Comment or Suggestions?

[TommyShelby]

As open world gets closer for every minute that goes by i think they will be focusing on that mainly. 
I like the thought of implementing the idea into open world in some way - I'm unsure how but the basic principle of the idea still stands: A place where players can practice on his or be teached by others in the different aspects of naval warfare.

[PrezesOi]

http://navalaction.pl/index.php/tutorials

 

[Grim DeGrim]

I think it's a great idea for open world. It is needed, especially since ship lose could mean financial or ship loss itself.

As pre-access, with deathmatch and no consequence losses, I would consider what we have now as training rooms. One of the major perks we are benefiting from...

Ps: thread within a thread within a thread:

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/4252-tutorials-and-teaching-new-players/#entry82793

Edited February 28, 2015 by Grim DeGrim

[Brigand]

The topic IDEA, Training Room has been merged into this one.

 

I think it is a very good suggestion, people will definitely need some sort of training and experimenting waters once the open world is available. I do not think it will be added to the current Sea Trials (Battle Arena) game play though, all the development effort is currently focused on the open world.

 

~Brigand

[5KnuckleChuckle]

Great idea for the open world but for now you can learn everything you need to know via YouTube. There are 6-8 guys on there making tutorial/tactics vids.

[pittnuma]

http://navalaction.pl/index.php/tutorials

 

For somebody just about to start out these videos are rather handy, many thanks

[Furfy]

Excellent - i like the narration as well - veddy British..

[ingerad]

Perhaps before they re-open pre-order access they should look into making what amounts to an obstacle course for new players, one that covers the basic sorts of maneuvers and such.  It could also be useful for people to get good practice in certain skill areas.

 

Personally, when I started playing I went around and watched several videos to learn to tack.  It still took me quite a while to get it down (and I'm still not THAT great at it).  Now, some of it is because I am a big landlubber so I didn't have that real world sailing reference point to draw on I'm sure (ships in the end don't always act as I pictured them initially).  But I bet I won't be the only lubber to purchase the game in the long haul.

 

Videos are great, doing it yourself is better however.  A simple mission that may be sail your ship from point A to B now with obstacles in the way would be a start.  Then talk about how to adjust yards to improve turning and have another obstacle course (with tighter turns required obviously).  Then do a part about tacking.  Then maybe shooting (maybe with references to some advanced tricks (I just learned how much turning my yards just so can vastly increase range in a Trinco lol).  Cover some wind polars and speed tests.  So on and so forth.  Simply add a simple correction that if the player goes 'out of bounds' he gets reset at the beginning or whatever.  It would be a great help to new players and would let some of the intermediate players have a chance to quietly practice their skills as well.

 

I know that development is all in on Open World atm, and that is why I specify the earliest timetable of when they open the game to a new testing wave next.  It should give them time to build the mode and it would let the new players get a handle on the most important part of sailing with some actual practice in the game.

 

Part of the reason I am so intrigued by this game is it isn't always a case of drive and go WASD controls.  There is a real skill to it, and I love it.