PlaneShift

Attached to Project: PlaneShift
Opened by Damola - 12.08.2022
Last edited by Talad - 25.12.2022

PSUnreal 0.7.23 (not yet in Reported Versions).

Dryken plane IMHO is too difficult for new players. I managed to get through it but on my first attempt at doing so (without having ever completed Dryken plane before) it took me almost two hours.

It at times was quite frustrating, cause the time out for barriers to re-appear is to low. I managed to get through in the end only by running at an accelerated pace (with basically holding the shift key all the time).

Now I imagine a new player having completed creating a char. What I would like to do then is: Play already.

And then this. Running the same way several times cause you did not manage to reach the second or third energy barrier in time. Especially annoying it is in case you do not reach the third energy barrier in time. Cause then you have to redo the second one as well.

And if you missed to obtain the first shard… you have to do all of the energy barriers again. There are a lot of ways to get Dryken plane wrong, which can cause frustration for new players.

Granted, now that I know the solution I can do this quicker. However… consider a new player. Not yet familiar with keyboard shortcuts. Not having seen any tutorial yet. Not knowing how to navigate the char and run faster by holding shift key while running.

I can imagine quite a few new players giving up straight away. When playing a new game, it is natural to evaluate it. And while PlaneShift really deserves giving it some time, especially younger players may not have the patience to do that.

At the very least I’d raise the time limits so that even without holding shift key while running you can reach the barrier even in case you do not find the shortest path to it from the beginning. Or I’d include some kind of mini tutorial at least telling the player about shift key to run faster.

I’d also consider letting an energy barrier disappear once and for all. Consider do to away with re-appearing energy barriers.

I think its important to improve Dryken plane really taking new players into account. It at time was frustrating for me even as a long time player. I think it would put off many new players. Dryken plane seems like a nice idea to test a new player – a little bit! – whether they are serious about playing PlaneShift. However, I think it is important not to overdo this. It may also be a good addition to the lore, sure. But also for that I would not make it too difficult for new players.