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One thing I've seen in open-ended games like this (Rimworld, Crusade Kings) is to just jump into a "tutorial" at first and direct the player into the basic game
by viklove 6y ago
One thing I've seen in open-ended games like this (Rimworld, Crusade Kings) is to just jump into a "tutorial" at first and direct the player into the basic game loop. It feels like you're actually accomplishing something (because you're actually building your first farm), and you also don't feel lost because the game is pointing you to the buttons you need to press in order to achieve your first goal.
So instead of a long-winded introduction about what the objective of the game is, just jump straight in and tell the user "A farm is nothing without crops, purchase some carrot seeds from the store to get started!" or something to that effect.
Anyway, just my 2 cents. You've actually put in the effort to make the thing and delivered something that is playable, and for that I commend you. Don't mind me, I'll just sit here daydreaming about all the abandoned game projects I've started while criticizing what you made to make myself feel better about it!
- jckahn 6y agoThat's a great idea! I think the game would benefit from a more engaging onboarding experience. If I'm being honest, I'm not super motivated to design and build out a robust "guided tour" like you see in some apps, but I think there are a lot of opportunities to add in simple affordances that would guide new players through the first iteration of the core game loop. For instance, there are some basic "new player achievements" here: https://github.com/jeremyckahn/farmhand/blob/dc734f71bcc081f53822f3a17c0cedd34ee0f906/src/data/achievements.js#L33-L66 https://github.com/jeremyckahn/farmhand/blob/dc734f71bcc081f... It wouldn't be too hard to display those on the Home screen for the player to check off when they first start out (and then hide after completion). And I think the default state for some views could offer more explanation. I'll think on reasonable ways to improve that aspect of the design. Thank you for your helpful feedback!
- jckahn 6y agoI've added an issue to track this work: https://github.com/jeremyckahn/farmhand/issues/13 https://github.com/jeremyckahn/farmhand/issues/13 Feel free to add additional thoughts to that issue!