"Viewing" the manual at game loadup

Post by **Masaq** » 2007-12-17 05:43

0.7 release is due some point in the next... quarter, say? Well, here's a little suggestion for some of the more important gameplay changes that the version will include.

In the few weeks after a new release there is *always* the whole "they don't read the damn manual!" type affair, and there's *always* people joining games and standing around looking gormless because they're not entirely sure what to do.

Many kind players take pity and help out, but usually the response is "FTFM!"

There was talk about somehow making players read the manual, most people concluded you couldn't really force them to...

Well, no, but we *can* force people to watch the introductory loading video, yes? If I remember rightly, it's non-skipable?

So, instead of having the BSS logo spinning in, why not have PR install with a 2 or 3 minute long video explaining the major changes between PR and vBF2 and the changes between PR 0.7 and 0.613? Mostly it could be text-based, with short video clips in between the text to demonstrate.

The very FIRST slide could state:
"This is a brief refresher on the differences between BF2 and PR. It is important you watch this video, and so you will be unable to skip it. The video also explains how to remove this training session at loadup, so watch carefully."

About halfway through a slide can then explain how to replace the training video with the BSS one (say, by removing the training video from the videos folder), to enable quicker loadup.

Benefit of it is, people have to sit and watch to learn how to get rid of it for next time at least.

Cheesygoodness · Post by **Cheesygoodness** » 2007-12-17 11:59

Grr wrong thread even ignore or delete.

BloodBane611 · Post by **BloodBane611** » 2007-12-17 12:19

As much as it might bother peeps, anyone who knows its coming can delete it, leaving it for the hapless new guys to see.

I like it.

$kelet0r · Post by **$kelet0r** » 2007-12-17 12:39

if the map loading screens can be edited, what would be great would be having randomised pages of vital information there as you wait for you to read.
so for Basrah, you would have a game description of insurgency, or for Kashan, how the commander dynamics work for example
might be a better solution

Post by **Deadfast** » 2007-12-17 12:44

Completely agree with $kelet0r...

Mora · Post by **Mora** » 2007-12-17 13:53

what about in game help messages like the vbf2 has if you start a new account..

Jagular · Post by **Jagular** » 2007-12-17 14:11

1. BSS logo skipable (and any other .bik, without any deletions of it)
2. Yes for short man on the start (in way like BSS logo appears)
(if you know how to skip intro, you propably could read manuals

)

Doom721 · Post by **Doom721** » 2007-12-17 15:11

Would not be bad if someone pieced together the video and the only thing you had to do was *click* to skip past that part, but it would need something catchy at the start to grab peoples attention so they don't go "click click click" WOO SNIPER RIFLES as day #1 of PR lol

Doc_Frank · Post by **Doc_Frank** » 2007-12-17 16:17

Is it possible to tweak the game menu? Putting in some essential need-to-knows in the 'BFHQ' menu point -- which is totally useless anyway -- would be closer for newbies then looking up the manual on desktop.

A_Grounded_Pilot · Post by **A_Grounded_Pilot** » 2007-12-17 17:23

I guess at the end of the video you could just tell them about adding the +restart1 argument to their desktop icon.

Post by **Deadfast** » 2007-12-17 18:54

Guerilla_Frank wrote:Is it possible to tweak the game menu? Putting in some essential need-to-knows in the 'BFHQ' menu point -- which is totally useless anyway -- would be closer for newbies then looking up the manual on desktop.

It is.
Ever played Sandbox ? They have it just like you said - instead of BFHQ.

blud · Post by **blud** » 2007-12-17 20:43

The only way you could do this is to make the shortest, simplest video ever, with no reading required, where you explain only the most important stuff, the stuff that automatically screws up noobs. You couldn't explain TONS of the intricate details though.

Also, you may have to include at the end of the video something like "run Remove-Instruction-Video icon on your desktop to remove this video", and then have an icon in the install on the desktop that deletes the bik file (Or not since I guess you can just hit ESC)

Also, skeletor's idea is great. Maybe shorten the map descriptions since lets face it, no one cares that much, and then put in like PR Game Play Tips: - To request a kit, blah blah

Also maybe you could shorten the AAS description to something like "AAS - Assault And Secure - You have to cap the flags in a specific Order" and then put a couple more tips in there (obviously they should be the most important tips since you see that for every map)

And there's always my old idea to replace the map loading music with Rhino reading the wiki guide

BloodBane611 · Post by **BloodBane611** » 2007-12-17 23:43

On the other hand, we could just deal with the noobs for a bit. Join squads with people you know, play the tournament, do whatever you want. Just when you go to pub play, be prepared for people with little/no experience, and give them a little help.

Personally, if someone starts asking more than 1 question, I tell them to read the manual. 1 question per session isn't too much to ask a fellow player, is it? Beyond that, they're on there own.

Jedimushroom · Post by **Jedimushroom** » 2007-12-18 20:56

Forgotten Hope did it perfectly, make a fun video that explains the basics whilst being entertaining and amusing.

There was a helicopter training video a while back like that...

"Now this here is a Blackhawk, cos it's black and kinda looks like... Well, its black anyway. This one is number 818, come to think of it quite a lot of these helicopters are number 818..."

Post by **Masaq** » 2007-12-19 01:40

Jedimushroom wrote:Forgotten Hope did it perfectly, make a fun video that explains the basics whilst being entertaining and amusing.

There was a helicopter training video a while back like that...

"Now this here is a Blackhawk, cos it's black and kinda looks like... Well, its black anyway. This one is number 818, come to think of it quite a lot of these helicopters are number 818..."

This is it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XuV0a9xZoo

"And this is the blackhawk for the flight school. It's number 818. Oddly enough, all the er, blackhawk flightschool numbers are 818. And er, just about every other blackhawk in the universe around here are 818. So that's your callsign; 818. And uh, we're gunna teach you how to fly this baby. It's uh, a medium size four-bladed chopper, designed for transport of uh, medium sized squads...."

Gyberg · Post by **Gyberg** » 2007-12-19 01:52

FH2 also has that EA info screen (the one in PR which reminds you to downloadn highway tampa) at startup replaced with tips.....

General Dragosh · Post by **General Dragosh** » 2007-12-19 23:05

'[R-MOD wrote:Masaq;553491']This is it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XuV0a9xZoo

"And this is the blackhawk for the flight school. It's number 818. Oddly enough, all the er, blackhawk flightschool numbers are 818. And er, just about every other blackhawk in the universe around here are 818. So that's your callsign; 818. And uh, we're gunna teach you how to fly this baby. It's uh, a medium size four-bladed chopper, designed for transport of uh, medium sized squads...."

That was a nice laugh, a healthy laugh !

HughJass · Post by **HughJass** » 2007-12-20 01:10

Good idea, but for 1.0(.9 or something). becuase at 1.0 the realese's will calm down and 1.0 will be more stable and 1.1 or so would be fixes mostly.

Mora · Post by **Mora** » 2007-12-20 15:31

'[R-MOD wrote:Masaq;553491']This is it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XuV0a9xZoo

"And this is the blackhawk for the flight school. It's number 818. Oddly enough, all the er, blackhawk flightschool numbers are 818. And er, just about every other blackhawk in the universe around here are 818. So that's your callsign; 818. And uh, we're gunna teach you how to fly this baby. It's uh, a medium size four-bladed chopper, designed for transport of uh, medium sized squads...."

i was planning to make a attack chopper training video with Mafia 2481 because there are many people that don't know how or what they need to do with them.. but we want to wait till 0.7 is out because the aa and choppers going to be deferent then they are now.
we actually have no idea when we going to make this time will tell us

Mora out.

btw take a look at this thread.
https://www.realitymod.com/forum/help-m ... 30811.html