Planetarion Forums

Troglodyte · 21 Jan 2005, 07:51

PA should REALLY create an informative INTERACTIVE Help File ...

a little Flash(swf file) file where the noob can expierence the PA fundamentals (like a spectator watching some-one play.) If the PA team cannot create a flash file, then second best option would be a Media file.

Scenario -) Brief overview
Scenario -) Asking For help
Scenario -) Ship Stats
Scenario -) The concept of the tick (not the little buggers in Africa)
Scenario -) Initiating Roids
Scenario -) Resaerch and Construction
Scenario -) Production
Scenario -) Alliances
Scenario -) Attacking
etc
etc

help get the NooBs up to spead ! The most critical time for a new player is the first time they log in.

This help needs to be quick and straight to the point.

(I know that someoff this stuff has popped up in other threads, but i think it deserves it's own thread.)

Maybe PA could award 10 free credits to anyone who creates the best flash help file *or something like that

myke · 21 Jan 2005, 08:57

I agree. This will get more players in PA too.

fizzyxl · 21 Jan 2005, 08:59

sounds good... and you could submit it to newgrounds and pull people that way

Kal · 21 Jan 2005, 09:08

making flash is not hard, but an interactive help system would be very very time consuming to make - that is the problem

NitinA · 21 Jan 2005, 09:09

I'm sure there's a member of the community who's good in Flash, and willing to help... Question is, where is that person?

-NitinA

Kal · 21 Jan 2005, 09:10

indeed, if someone wants to make such a thing i'm sure we will have no problem hosting it or linking to it

Orion Treet · 21 Jan 2005, 11:16

Think it's a great idea, don't have any flash creation skills though

arbondigo · 21 Jan 2005, 14:35

It's a good idea, perhaps Troglodyte's first ever. I'm not sure it will bring in that many new players who will stay myke. When this flash thingy stops, ie say it stops telling you what to do after 72 ticks or so, then after that it will be hit and miss just like the freebies now. They'll either want to upgrade or not. That is the crucial part imo.

Orion Treet · 21 Jan 2005, 14:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by arbondigo

It's a good idea, perhaps Troglodyte's first ever. I'm not sure it will bring in that many new players who will stay myke. When this flash thingy stops, ie say it stops telling you what to do after 72 ticks or so, then after that it will be hit and miss just like the freebies now. They'll either want to upgrade or not. That is the crucial part imo.

Yeah, but it will get them more involved from the start, many people are clueless when they sign up first round at what to do, so that would add a bit of fun to it, also one explaining how to get on IRC and why that's important maybe as well. Ofc the gal should also help out that person, but that doesn't always happen.

arbondigo · 21 Jan 2005, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orion Treet

Yeah, but it will get them more involved from the start, many people are clueless when they sign up first round at what to do, so that would add a bit of fun to it, also one explaining how to get on IRC and why that's important maybe as well. Ofc the gal should also help out that person, but that doesn't always happen.

Yep it will help them at the start. One explaining irc would be good too. The gal will more often than not help out IF the newbie actually asks for help in the first place.

Appocomaster · 21 Jan 2005, 15:01

It'd be better than a normal manual. I still wanted an optional bigger help presence ingame, for things like this. I think that stopping it after 72 ticks is stupid, because thats when you come out of protection and need help. anyone can init roids till tick 200, but when ships are around and attacking and defending takes place... that's when people need help.

arbondigo · 21 Jan 2005, 15:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Appocomaster

It'd be better than a normal manual. I still wanted an optional bigger help presence ingame, for things like this. I think that stopping it after 72 ticks is stupid, because thats when you come out of protection and need help. anyone can init roids till tick 200, but when ships are around and attacking and defending takes place... that's when people need help.

I used 72 ticks as an example, nothing else. Would be nice if they could be shown how to get defence, the normal procedures so to speak, for the first time that they are attacked. Maybe have the option to save it so they can watch it if they need to refer to it again. Same with first time that they are attacking.

wakey · 21 Jan 2005, 17:54

Id personally rather see one of Spinners initial ideas for PAX brought into play, that being the enhanced quests system. Spinner spoke to PATeam after the Jolt buy out of the game about his plans for the new PA and the idea that quests would become more dynamic and useful as a learning tool was one of these. Like the old quests you would work through them quest by quest and get rewards for doing so but not everyone would get the same quest. Rather the circumstances of the player, the race ect would decide what quest they are given with players getting quests that will help them most. The quests for smaller planets would obviously also be easier thus easier to complete thus gives them more aid than the advanced planets get thus helping them out a little more (as advanced planets would have tasks more useful to themselves which would obviously be harder to complete)

Kal · 21 Jan 2005, 19:21

quests are great

Blixxard · 21 Jan 2005, 22:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by NitinA

I'm sure there's a member of the community who's good in Flash, and willing to help... Question is, where is that person?

-NitinA

I think someone just volunteered.

Troglodyte · 24 Jan 2005, 11:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by arbondigo

It's a good idea, perhaps Troglodyte's first ever.

I'm hurt.

Unfortunately i dont have flash experience either. Maybe it should be open-source. so the developers can add stuff to it. [ need to make periodic backup of the files incase a roll-bak is required]

Appocomaster · 24 Jan 2005, 11:25

If you read the bot thread http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=182594
then you will see

Quote:

Originally Posted by mist

the bots reached the end of specification, and some early design work was done.

the community didn't seem particularly thrilled by the idea of them, and jolt didn't want them. jolt won't accept open source code contributions. if you want to code for them (for free) you've got to sign an nda, the terms of which are rediculous to say the least.

-mist

So if people are going to code it, they'll have to be Pa Team already, or willing to sign an NDA first.
(Others have commented on the NDA; it's not exactly ridicious - it's fairly standard in business for this sort of thing - but open source things certainly won't be allowed)

Troglodyte · 24 Jan 2005, 12:01

ok .Get some-one else to host it ...

arbondigo · 24 Jan 2005, 12:37

Then it probably won't be accepted

Kal · 23 Mar 2005, 23:10

ok we are going with quests rather than an interactive helpfile