So I have been thinking about the new player experience a lot lately...

[Volatar]

So I have been thinking about the new player experience a lot lately (since I have been teaching my dad), and there are quite a few thoughts I have had on things. A lot on the UI that I will have to refine and post another time.

But the most notable one is the one I had today. I was thinking of putting together a whole series of short video guides (2-3 minutes at most on a particular topic like, say, Golems (if a video is only 30 seconds it's perfectly good)) on various things to acquaint a new player with the game and it's vast complex web of tools.

Yeah, this is a big project and I probably am not the best person to do it, but hey, I had an idea, and I want to try.

So, could I grab you guys for some brainstorming? What would be a list of topics a new player to AI War might want access to? Particularly not in any order, but rather on an on demand basis as they discover things and want to understand them.

The things that come to mind first are the major features, or tools that the player can get in the base game and expansions.

Scouting
Advanced Research Stations
Advanced Factories
Hacking (possibly split into more than one video)
Golems
Spirecraft
Champions, basics of them and the side missions as seperate videos
The Zenith Trader

Along with more basic things like

Game setup
Coop
The options menu
The CTRLS menu
Modular ships
What are all these stations and ships when I start the game?
Fleet management and controls

Or things about dealing with the AI

Wave Defense
Cross Planet Attacks
AI Eyes
Ion Cannons
Alarms
Counterstrike Guard Posts
Fortresses
Hybrids
Deepstrike
Special Forces
Core Shield Generators
Core Guard Posts

As well as ones that point you in the ways you can win the game

Dealing with the AI Homeworlds
The Fallen Spire Campaign (definitely more than one video)
Showdown Devices

What I am canvassing for is what more things to add to such a list so that we can have a nice complete set of topics. Not all these videos need (or should) be made by me, so it would be good to have a master list to work off of.

This idea is as a companion to the wiki and a more concise way to present advanced tutorial information. My vision is based a lot on the videos you find on the Minecraft wiki. (Example, and example)

[TIE Viper]

A suggestion for Hacking videos:

An intro to hacking video that simply says what they all are and do for you.  The menu UI, tooltips, etc. Relatively short.

Each following video could be a demonstration of doing one type of hacking with in game examples.

[Volatar]

A suggestion for Hacking videos:

An intro to hacking video that simply says what they all are and do for you.  The menu UI, tooltips, etc. Relatively short.

Each following video could be a demonstration of doing one type of hacking with in game examples.

That is exactly the kind of breakdown I was thinking of. Very specific. Very short and to the point.

[keith.lamothe]

"How To Use The Riot Starship"

Probably needs multiple videos:
Kite-And-Kneecap
Cross-Planet Tractor-Pull
Tazer Stacking
Countering SBSs and TDLs with the mobile grav module

Possibly others.  I'm not sure if having them provide close-escort ff coverage is viable, or if using their ffs to push enemy units around is useful.


"How To Deal With AI Spire Blade Spawners"

"How To Deal With AI Tackle Drone Launchers"

"How To Deal With AI Raid Starships"

"How To Use Warheads In An Endgame Gambit"

Probably several on various aspects of cutting out micromanagement (putting a merc dock on loop build in a control group with the "suspend building if total resources less than X" control on; auto-scouting, auto-knowledge-gathering, using the custom filters, setting up planets such that they'll basically completely rebuild after being wiped out by the AI, etc.)

"How To Use Mines"

I could go on, but I gotta run

[Volatar]

"How To Use The Riot Starship"

Probably needs multiple videos:
Kite-And-Kneecap
Cross-Planet Tractor-Pull
Tazer Stacking
Countering SBSs and TDLs with the mobile grav module

Possibly others.  I'm not sure if having them provide close-escort ff coverage is viable, or if using their ffs to push enemy units around is useful.


"How To Deal With AI Spire Blade Spawners"

"How To Deal With AI Tackle Drone Launchers"

"How To Deal With AI Raid Starships"

"How To Use Warheads In An Endgame Gambit"

"How To Use Mines"

I could go on, but I gotta run

Oh dear, I don't know how to do these things myself.


...sweet, I get to learn first

Probably several on various aspects of cutting out micromanagement (putting a merc dock on loop build in a control group with the "suspend building if total resources less than X" control on; auto-scouting, auto-knowledge-gathering, using the custom filters, setting up planets such that they'll basically completely rebuild after being wiped out by the AI, etc.)

YOU CAN DO WHAT? No one ever told me about all that stuff!

[Draco18s]

Probably several on various aspects of cutting out micromanagement (putting a merc dock on loop build in a control group with the "suspend building if total resources less than X" control on; auto-scouting, auto-knowledge-gathering, using the custom filters, setting up planets such that they'll basically completely rebuild after being wiped out by the AI, etc.)

YOU CAN DO WHAT? No one ever told me about all that stuff!

Patch notes.

Added new per-control group toggle: Suspend Spending If Resources Less Than.

    If your combined metal+crystal reserve is less than this number, units in this control group will temporarily cease the following activities (even if specifically ordered to do them) :
        1) Spending resources on its own build queue (for Space Docks, Starship Constructors, etc).
        2) Spending resources on its own self-building (for Turrets, Forts, etc that are still under construction).
        3) Accepting assistance from engineers on its build queue or self-building.
        4) Providing assistance to another unit's build queue or self-building.
        5) Repairing other units.
        6) Accepting repairs from other units.
    If a ship is in multiple control groups, the highest value of this setting takes precedence.
    One important use of this is for "use excess resources" assignments, so if you want your merc space dock to turn anything over a total of 1.5M resources into merc fighters, you can do that with this new toggle with minimal micro.
    Thanks to Faulty Logic for inspiring this addition.

[AnOddRadish]

I would actually love to help with this, either making videos, brainstorming, filming, or narrating. PM me in you're interested!

[Volatar]

I would actually love to help with this, either making videos, brainstorming, filming, or narrating. PM me in you're interested!

Sure thing. I'll give you a poke when I get started.

[Conir]

any progress on this? sounds like something that could be really usefull for a new player like myself

[Volatar]

any progress on this? sounds like something that could be really usefull for a new player like myself

Pretty much no progress. I have obtained a lot of the tools and worked on some back end stuff but have nothing to show. Real life is getting in the way.

[Diazo]

Keep in mind that that what is being talked about in this thread is intended to be on the wiki in some form.

I'd love youtube videos to be able to link showing off specific tactics, but I certainly intend to frame all this stuff in a "tactics" or "strategy" section. (Anyone got a better name?)

Of course I still need to finish converting all the unit pages to the automatic update system first....

D.

[Aklyon]

Tactical Manuevers?

[TIE Viper]

...Stratactegery?   

[Volatar]

Keep in mind that that what is being talked about in this thread is intended to be on the wiki in some form.

I was envisioning this idea here as going hand in hand with the wiki.