Ways of getting new players into the game...?

[[twl]Lan]

Hi everyone,

This has been talked of before to some extent but I haven't seen a post in this forum where it actually takes a defined form. I would like to see suggestions on how to increase the genre, making PR more easily accessible. The most common thing I hear or see in the forums, indeed that I recommend myself to new players is: "find someone to play with that has played the game before, don't try it alone because you may not get the true PR teamwork experience."

We have had various efforts to facilitate new players, the excellent PR guides and PDF's, the training mode maps, the PR trainers and indeed some various people sometime start a Training squad ingame. But can't take it one step more?

Bootcamp map concept
1, Is it possible to do customwork on the voice who instructs you on the basic use of everything once you have done a first time install?

2, If so, could we set it up to give specified instructions?

3, If so, could we build a special map designed specifically to take you through the various highlight points of PR?

4, If so, could the first screen when booting up your newly installed PR version be (obviously you could tickbox it away);

Welcome to PR, if you are new to this mod we recommend you try out our map BOOTCAMP to learn the basic things that makes PR so special.

5, On that map, we could start with the basic stuff like kit presentation and useage. Firearms and suppression. Throwing nades, usefulness of smoke. But also things like the grid system that everyone uses or other interesting things. We could even slip in some promotional stuff for commander or special gameplay styles that the PR DEV team wants used more or in a certain way. We could effectively shape the new players a little when they first join.

5.1 If we can use Bots (#6), can we have them build a FB triggered on the commo rose "Build"? If we can, then why not have the new player practice FB deployment?
5.2 Getting new kits from boxes, limitation on the kits.
5.3 Short admonishments about the kits and proper use?
5.4 Transports and the importance of vehicles for the team?
5.5 The effects of loosing a vehicle and ticket loss for the team?
5.6 The basic and somehow most forgotten gameplay rule - if you defend, the enemy will come to you and you will get to kill them. Often more then if you run off to berserker mode and attack the next flag.
5.7 ...more to come...

6, I don't think we can preprogram bots to act a certain way on a map? If so you could theoretically enact fireteams and building assault etc...

7, The map ought to be a prolonged bar shape, so you proceed along it. Think about the STREET map.


Where does this idea come from? Well, all the FPS shooters use somekind of bootcamp session as intro and I am a very active PRT player who happens to run CATA Bootcamps with the other trainers. I see the point of having a intro easily accessible to the players.


Other ideas?
Does anyone have more ideas on how to promote PR, in a definable way? Or as a concept and we'll discuss the way forward with that concept.

Br,
Lan

Update 1 - Increased point #5

[arjan]

Suggested before

[[twl]Lan]

Suggested before

I couldn't find it so where was that?

[BogusBoo]

So what? it's okay. i think its a good idea.

[bloodthirsty_viking]

it could be good, if nothing else an old map could be remodled mostlikley... but still, i dont think it would work, becuase to teach everything they need to know, it would need to take an hour or so.
i would not have the pationts to listen to an computer voice for an hour just to learn the game, 10 min or so, fine, but not an hour.

If this would happen, its would need to be quickley summirized in the beggining, then more specifik.. well not that i think about it.. you could change the vbf2 startup voice so it would tell you what you would have to do.?

[BogusBoo]

The manual takes roughly an hour to read and memorize.

im all for it.

[[twl]Lan]

it could be good, if nothing else an old map could be remodled mostlikley... but still, i dont think it would work, becuase to teach everything they need to know, it would need to take an hour or so.
i would not have the pationts to listen to an computer voice for an hour just to learn the game, 10 min or so, fine, but not an hour.

If this would happen, its would need to be quickley summirized in the beggining, then more specifik.. well not that i think about it.. you could change the vbf2 startup voice so it would tell you what you would have to do.?

Mapwise, hmm, dunno. With the ideas and possibilites, I would say a new map would be better rather then adapting a old one but hell, I'm not a mapper nor are we anywhere near that stage. Conceptual brainstorming, open minds?

The exact contents would have to be discussed of course. Maybe skip all the kit stuff and just go through the special stuff that is PR. As for time limit, weeeell...it's in relation to how much fun one would bake into the thing, isn't it? We play games for entertainment and we certainly could include some fun along the way. Ever seen the "mine" movies from vBF2? I bet we could slip in some humour and do archetypes of sergeants or other things that would have people laughing and learning. All we gotta do is be creative and use humour that furthers the teachings.

[[twl]Lan]

Updated #5 with some more examples as the thread indicates it's worth the effort to think for a few minutes more.

[RHYS4190]

my idea is just to make a training video, But i not got around to making it .

making a special boot camp like in games like in games like Desert storm, or medal of honour allied assault is just to expensive. Keep in mind that 90% of all BF2 player's play PR and then quickly wash out very quickly so it quite wasteful to dedicate that much resources on them with little or no return.

But a training video Cheap,

[Smegburt_funkledink]

PRSP/ COOP is being incorperated into 0.9 so that'll be a great tool for people starting out new with PR.

[Arnoldio]

If Its possible, redo the default audio tutorial...(You know, Press the forward key to move forward, You are a squadleader now. Give orders to your sqad blah blah ablah...all those annoying vanilla things)

But with more in depth stuff. Like how to reacto to enemy fire etc, and when you create a squad, new tutorials would come up for squadleading...

So tis manadory to listen to it, and its not so boring as reading...

[mat552]

So tis manadory to listen to it, and its not so boring as reading...

Reward the player for extra study time, don't force them to listen to voiceovers. Especially the bf2 voiceovers, which tend to repeat themselves a lot.

[Arnoldio]

They never repeat, only if you make a new account.

(At least they didnt for me.)

[Sniperdog]

Reworking the voice tutorial mechanic from vBF2 sounds like a very good idea. A lot of the cooler things in PR are actually based upon custom vBF2 mechanics like that one.

[BogusBoo]

ya, good idea i think a new tutorial voice is nice. but the option to disable it is even cooler.

[Heikkine]

would be nice it if had the stuff usefull stuff more than just lots of basics; including using the mouse to look around, but like including kit selections - small tutorial of the kit etc. weapons, tanks.

But really we should gather the movie voices of Arnold, and it would be like GET TO THE CHOPPAA!!
and in the chopper it would say: if you just learned how to take the pilot kit, please leave the chopper immidiately and find the nearest training server.

[LUKE_NUKE_EM]

I think a good immersive training map, better than the one already in existance. Like you are on a course, and every bit of the way there are signs with written directions on them. You know what I mean.

[Jedimushroom]

What is really needed are promotions that emphasise the teamwork aspect of PR. It needs to be shown to people who might make good players, those currently on Arma 2 and OFP DR. Problem is, most of the core gameplay stuff is down to a T now, so most of the news posts are showing new shineys and pretty models for the mod. People see this stuff and say 'Oh look it's POE2 with bigger numbers' and jump right in. These people are largely not the kind of people who will play this mod right or be good players. We need to attract some more mature, friendly guys.

Sorry for hijacking the thread just a little, but I wanted to make a point.

[[twl]Lan]

What is really needed are promotions that emphasise the teamwork aspect of PR. It needs to be shown to people who might make good players, those currently on Arma 2 and OFP DR. Problem is, most of the core gameplay stuff is down to a T now, so most of the news posts are showing new shineys and pretty models for the mod. People see this stuff and say 'Oh look it's POE2 with bigger numbers' and jump right in. These people are largely not the kind of people who will play this mod right or be good players. We need to attract some more mature, friendly guys.

Sorry for hijacking the thread just a little, but I wanted to make a point.

No, quite alright. It's a good point and something to keep in mind.

If we come up with a good idea to get new people into the game, we certainly want to give them the right impression from the start.

[badmojo420]

What we need is a good training map. One that forces players to train. For example, using playable zones to force a player into an area could help divide up the map into areas where like minded individuals could meet.

Now we already have a great spot on kashan for infantry training (south village) BUT what happens when you want to train inf there? You get every jet, helicopter, tank, etc coming down on you. With playable zones, you could restrict the air training to one area, and INF training to another.

Here's a picture to illustrate my idea. Keep in mind this is to show the theory, if i was to plan a training map it would be a lot different.


-Yellow areas would be a no-go zone for both teams.
-Blue dots are blufor spawns
-Red dots are opfor spawns

It would even be possible to add in some team specific areas, for exmple in the INF training, have the area where teams spawn be out of bounds for the other team. This way no spawn raping could occur.

If a training map could be designed like this, it would drive away the people who 'play' in training mode. And it would take the load off server admins, who are almost non-existant in training servers because theres ALWAYS problems happening.