Coach mode + Rookie only servers, improving rookie experience
StrikerX3
Join Date: 2012-11-08 Member: 168423Members, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2012-11-08 Member: 168423Members, Reinforced - Shadow
One of the things I think is a major obstacle for new NS2 players is that there is no way of learning the game without going into the fray and (more often than not) getting destroyed by veterans or even not-so-rookie players.
What I suggest for a first step into removing this obstacle is a combination of rookie-only servers and a coach mode. Rookie-only servers would prevent veterans from joining teams as players or commanders; they instead join as coaches. Veteran status could be determined by play time, since NS2 does not keep track of any other statistics. (In this case, I believe the "rookie" flag should be extended to around 100 hours or so; 4 hours is definitely too little for a game of this complexity.) Coaches are similar to spectators, but since they're members of a team, they can talk to the members through text and voice chat, and, of course, spectate the match within the boundaries of what the team can see: first-person and comm view. Veterans who don't feel like coaching can simply join a non-rookie-only server.
Improving the bots and making that training mode more customizable and complete would be very good too, for those who are afraid of playing against players without knowing how the game works. But you could take this a step further and make a series of scripted tutorials, teaching the player every single detail of the game, from basic to advanced to comp-level tricks, and maybe even a set of challenges. Maybe this is too far-fetched, but I'm sure this could only help. Some ideas:
- How each structure works
- How to buy weapons / how to evolve lifeforms and traits
- How to use each weapon / alien lifeform
- Commanding both sides
- Specific situations to teach the player field decision-making and positioning (e.g. pinching a Fade; picking the right target between a nearly dead Harvester and a Skulk; ambushing marines as Skulk)
- Advanced tricks such as Skulk wall-jumping, Fade Shadowstep+jumping, etc.
- Challenges:
- - Time attack: go through a route as Skulk/Lerk/Fade/JP marine? trying to beat the clock -- the player should figure out the best way to use the lifeform's abilities and tricks
- - Accuracy challenges: shooting Skulks with a shotgun or the LMG while trying to conserve as much ammo as possible
- - Survival challenges: survive waves of aliens/marines; the longer you survive, the higher your score
I believe these could be implemented as mods, but having official support for them would be the best way to go, given that new players won't be looking for mods right off the bat.
What I suggest for a first step into removing this obstacle is a combination of rookie-only servers and a coach mode. Rookie-only servers would prevent veterans from joining teams as players or commanders; they instead join as coaches. Veteran status could be determined by play time, since NS2 does not keep track of any other statistics. (In this case, I believe the "rookie" flag should be extended to around 100 hours or so; 4 hours is definitely too little for a game of this complexity.) Coaches are similar to spectators, but since they're members of a team, they can talk to the members through text and voice chat, and, of course, spectate the match within the boundaries of what the team can see: first-person and comm view. Veterans who don't feel like coaching can simply join a non-rookie-only server.
Improving the bots and making that training mode more customizable and complete would be very good too, for those who are afraid of playing against players without knowing how the game works. But you could take this a step further and make a series of scripted tutorials, teaching the player every single detail of the game, from basic to advanced to comp-level tricks, and maybe even a set of challenges. Maybe this is too far-fetched, but I'm sure this could only help. Some ideas:
- How each structure works
- How to buy weapons / how to evolve lifeforms and traits
- How to use each weapon / alien lifeform
- Commanding both sides
- Specific situations to teach the player field decision-making and positioning (e.g. pinching a Fade; picking the right target between a nearly dead Harvester and a Skulk; ambushing marines as Skulk)
- Advanced tricks such as Skulk wall-jumping, Fade Shadowstep+jumping, etc.
- Challenges:
- - Time attack: go through a route as Skulk/Lerk/Fade/JP marine? trying to beat the clock -- the player should figure out the best way to use the lifeform's abilities and tricks
- - Accuracy challenges: shooting Skulks with a shotgun or the LMG while trying to conserve as much ammo as possible
- - Survival challenges: survive waves of aliens/marines; the longer you survive, the higher your score
I believe these could be implemented as mods, but having official support for them would be the best way to go, given that new players won't be looking for mods right off the bat.