How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

Nakula · 2014-03-09 20:40:54

I know this topic has probably been discussed countless times, but i just wanted to address some of my personal thoughts after playing this game for about 150 hours now. First and foremost i want to talk about polish. Polishing a game and smoothing out rough edges goes farther than people may think. Of course there are exceptions of games that start as nearly a concept, and due to the nature of the game, and perhaps the alignment of some particular stars, the game explodes into a phenomenon (Warcraft 3 Dota and Minecraft come to mind). But in the real world, polish matters.

I personally think that TCD is a fantastic game, and though gameplay tweaks here and there are nice, how the game is played is not what has any glaring problems in my humble opinion. What does have problems is the overall polish of the game.

When the game was released there was quite a nice spike of players. The concept seemed cool. But tragically many people dropped out of the game after just a few hours playing. Many reviewers gave the game a low score, and overall the games popularity did not take off as strong as it could have. After all, we the forum lurkers more than anyone know how much of a gem this game is.

I understand that the integrity of the game MUST stay intact. Too many games lately are dumbing down their mechanics and holding players hands throughout. Although curiously the video game industry is at an all time high. So clearly there is something to learn from the hand holding formula and driving people to play video games. Lets talk about Super Meat Boy. If anyone has played this game they will all tell you about its complex fast paced platforming, and overall high difficulty of this game. Very much opposite in nature of the easy AAA games lately. So how did it sell so well? Polish.

SMB starts out holding your hand and gradually teaching you all of its game mechanics. Slowly it builds itself into the complex platforming beast that it is. It ropes you in, no matter who you are. I think there's something to learn from this. I can tell Jason doesn't want to conform to the pattern of hand holding, or just conform to any game at all really. Hes an artist, and one that is trying to be unique. That's completely respectable. But I think the lines need to be blended between keeping the integrity of art, and conforming to everyone in a way that is pleasant and non disturbing to the games style and gameplay.

Tooltips: The game needs better tooltips, plain and simple. Newcomes open the game, see a slew of build items, and have no idea how they work. At this point many people are already annoyed. They want a game that looks polished, and explains itself. I understand having no descriptions on items makes for an almost childlike sense of discovery when your first trap is built. So obviously tooltips are debatable. But i dont see why we cant find a middle ground and have some sort of slight description on everything. Maybe instead of tooltips there can just be an electronics manual that explains the basics of wiring/power sources.

Sound Effects: This is very much debatable, as i can also see artistic reasoning in the decision to exclude sound effects from the game. But just think about watching your tapes and hearing a satisfying "Bzz!" when an electric floor trap switches on, or a CLASH when windows break, or a bark/growl when a pitbull comes in contact with a robber. For me it adds another layer of polish to the game, very much welcome to new comers and reviewers.

Game modes: This is a big one, and requires a lot of work I would imagine. But there is no doubt, extra content never hurt anyone. Sandbox mode, co-op robberies, an in game castledraft.com sort of thing so you can draw your own blueprints as you scout houses in game. These are just a few ideas that come to mind. My point is, content is key to keep people playing a game for a long time. And a game that can keep people playing will have more favorable reviews, and thus attract more players.

If anyone else has any good ideas to help polish the game and not break style and gameplay, please slap it down. I want this game to thrive, because i really love it. It has actually improved my life, as silly as it seems. Previously i was addicted to Dota 2. A high stress multiplayer game that has an evil way of creeping itself into your every thought. The game breads rage, and actually manages to destroy trust in human beings. It is a fantastic game, but it is evil. Thanks to our lord and savior Jason Rohr, I have become addicted to something far less toxic. This game is thought provoking, and exercises patience in people. I want to see it climb mountains, so lets all try to make this game as best as possible!

Last edited by Nakula (2014-03-09 20:46:33)

death_to_ice_cream_vans · 2014-03-09 21:03:47

When I first started playing, I would have agreed with most of the points you've raised. Now, though, I'm increasingly seeing that the game's steep learning curve acts as a very effective filter to ensure only the most persistent and independent players want to play. This is great; it means only the best people are playing the game and trying to crack your house.

42dustman · 2014-03-09 21:10:38

Personally I think that improving the game's wiki would help new players a lot. It is very incomplete and some pages are uninformative or downright incomprehensible (take the 'advanced electronics' page for a example of the second case). A proper wiki ought to have a catalog with all the different trap systems that are used containing extensive and clear descriptions on the way they work, their variations and the possible countermeasures to them. There should also be guides on the types of houses you can build with varying amounts of money, the best loadouts for 2k robbing, the proper methods for scouting, the best ways to predict the locations of the family and the vault, etc...

MazeHunter · 2014-03-10 00:29:09

I think adding an advance electronics video within the wiki or somewhere on the website could help keep new players from rage quitting the game. At least they could get an idea on how they died. I admit it is very frustrating to get electrocuted without knowing why. I almost quit the game after continuously dying from the unseen dog dance trick. Trying to guess what the hell the dog is doing behind the wall as I walk down the long corridor is very frustrating. If I see it I avoid it at all costs now. How the hell am I to correctly guess how many dances to perform as I walk along the wall at the risk of losing everything?

ZedX · 2014-03-10 00:45:22

Make a warning before leaving\robbing enemy houses with tools. I recently missclicked, lost all tools, didnt notice it, tried to rob desired house with no tools and died after i realized "omg, my tools are gone!" (the guy had grill commit gate, so i only needed damn water).

Last edited by ZedX (2014-03-10 00:46:22)

MoDDiB · 2014-03-10 02:12:40

I totally agree with you,
that's why I'm making a remake with tutorials :

Web : http://jean.esteves.free.fr/IWSYW/Build7/Build.html
Windows : http://dl.free.fr/nWnyMuzbc
Linux : http://dl.free.fr/r11KpOs3f

I'll open a dedicated thread in about 2 weeks : the core of the game will be about stealing the wife of others players : I wait to implement it !

Nakula · 2014-03-10 03:18:30

Really nice tutorial. Jason needs to add something exactly like this to the game. if only he did so before release, maybe the game would have gotten a better rating. id say its not too late to implement though

Nakula · 2014-03-10 03:25:37

42dustman wrote:

Personally I think that improving the game's wiki would help new players a lot. It is very incomplete and some pages are uninformative or downright incomprehensible (take the 'advanced electronics' page for a example of the second case). A proper wiki ought to have a catalog with all the different trap systems that are used containing extensive and clear descriptions on the way they work, their variations and the possible countermeasures to them. There should also be guides on the types of houses you can build with varying amounts of money, the best loadouts for 2k robbing, the proper methods for scouting, the best ways to predict the locations of the family and the vault, etc...

wiki upgrade would be nice, but i feel like there are many people who would never even think about using the wiki. good games have explanations built in, at least for the basic stuff. i think the game itself needs polishing, not anything external as much

The Castle Doctrine Forums

#1 2014-03-09 20:40:54

How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

#2 2014-03-09 21:03:47

Re: How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

#3 2014-03-09 21:10:38

Re: How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

#4 2014-03-10 00:29:09

Re: How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

#5 2014-03-10 00:45:22

Re: How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

#6 2014-03-10 02:12:40

Re: How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

#7 2014-03-10 03:18:30

Re: How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

#8 2014-03-10 03:25:37

Re: How to improve the game for new comers, #inspirationalspeach

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