Not to be rude but thats a pointless beginning, there's no need for you to be there aside for looking into the distance to see the cleft and the trailer, which can be done from the original starting location at the cleft.
Pointless, pointless, pointless. Everything got to have a point. It's nice? yes (for me, anyway). It adds to the immersion? yes. It gives you more to explore? yes. So what's wrong? beside, this place DOES have a point- a public place where you can meet others before reaching the 'hood (considering I'm not taking the public desert idea). There.
Also the concept of "walking vanishing and reappearing" is a huge immersion kick to the head, if you're walking somewhere it needs to be continuous or handled through paging systems like the doors in Gaheeren on the second tower.
Fine enough. I don't care what it is. Disappear and reappear, do the gahreesen thing (good idea, btw), fly, whatever (well, maybe not flying...). As long as it cuts down space, I'm good (because small town+zandi's place+drc place+volcano area+tunnels to d'ni= not going to work). If the gahreesen trick can cut down space- it would be really great.
A starting area needs to have a point, maybe not for old players who know the drill but the new players it will. Why am I in this area, what do I need to do to progress to where I want to be, the Cleft deals with it just fine, it has a point (it's a historical place, it introduces you to Zandi, Yeesha Linking books and the Journey clothes found everywhere).
No not everything has to have a point (it certainly helps, given it was a huge shortcoming of MOUL), but pointless needs to be placed well, the introduction to the game is not one of these places.
Now if it was an area you could walk to after you had solved the journey and gained the book to the Cleft then fair enough, then its for wandering and not tied to the starting experience.
The stranger wrote:Pointless, pointless, pointless. Everything got to have a point. It's nice? yes (for me, anyway). It adds to the immersion? yes. It gives you more to explore? yes. So what's wrong?
It's pointless.
Last edited by realXCV on Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Perhaps we should still have people start in the Cleft, but I still think we need an opt-out tutorial mode that goes until the player has picked up their KI and learned to use all the essential D'ni technology in the game.
Well, this is a place to meet friends before you start. Here's the point. It also directly connects to the cleft, so this is like a very small sub area. Don't consider it teledahn or something. I think it will do more good than bad.
The stranger wrote:Well, this is a place to meet friends before you start. Here's the point.
That could also be considered the "problem" - There are a number of people (I having been one ) who want the chance to feel their way around by themselves, before running into other players. Being dropped straight into a place where there might be several other players running round, maybe already familiar with emotes, maybe shouting out spoilers, etc., could be intimidating or off-putting.
Such an area would need to be permanently "policed". Newbies couldn't be expected to know how to call a ResEng (or equivalent) if there was some abusive/aggressive character hanging around. It happened occasionally in the public areas in MO:UL, but these were usually places where some experienced players were on hand to help. In an area that's really only used as a starting point, you're less likely to see experienced players and more likely to encounter the villians.
I realise I'm presenting two quite different scenarios above, but my point is, if one doesn't happen then the other likely will
Well... maybe players can begin in a private desert area... nevermind, I mess things up too much.
EDIT: okay, I WILL tell my idea. It's a mess I know, but it's the only way to help new players nevigate through the game in a good way.
You begin in a personal desert. From afar, you can see the volcano, and from the other side (still far, yet closer from the volcano) is a small town.
Also, in this place, far from each other, there are 2 things. One is zandi's trailer, where he gives you his nice speech. The other is a tent with a DRC ResEng in it (NPC, not played), he tells you about the the tunnels to d'ni, and that you to check out laxman's message in the tunnels.
So now, you can go to the town, or to the volcano.
If you walk to the volcano, you will arrive at the normal place. Zandi's trailer, of course, isn't there. Because of that, the cloth on is trailer is now on the fence instead. From here, you can begin the journey, or go trough the tunnels.
If you walk to the town, you arrive at a small old west town. As I said before- there's a old west cart half burried in the rock here (I don't know why I stick to this cart so much, I guess it's just nice), and on top of one of the houses there's a telescope, through it you can see the volcano (you reach the telescope with a ladder). This is a public place, where you will find other people.
So this way, 1) the cleft doesn't lose it's special "all alone" feeling, 2) you begin in a less confusing, personal place, 3) you have the option to go to a public place, 4) ALL places have a point (desert- talk to zandi/reseng, town- meet others if you want to, before you reach the 'hood, volcano- go on with the game, obviously).
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) who want the chance to feel their way around by themselves, before running into other players. Being dropped straight into a place where there might be several other players running round, maybe already familiar with emotes, maybe shouting out spoilers, etc., could be intimidating or off-putting.