Initial feedback
Note: If these notes come off as harsh/overly critical/nit picky, apologies because that's not my intent, I find myself really enjoying the game overall, but here are some thoughts that pop out/things I think could be fixed.
<3's
Initial ATLAS play test thoughts
-Whoa, I just started up the client why is there a video that is auto playing, I already don't like it on websites/popups, why is there sound/video playing now?
-The client layout is easy to grasp and make sense, thanks for that.
-I like that Day is introducing things via video, it makes me feel included/connected to the game with someone human, as opposed to the usual 'read this dense/complex manual' or 'read x forum'.
-ATLAS seems to be a very social game given the amount of screen real-estate within the client dedicated to friends/chat. However, I'm a fairly isolated gamer who, like most others, uses games as a means of escape, and will get annoyed at times if people chat with me/if notifications pop up. A way to minimize/remove friends list and chat would be great for my isolationist/escapist method of play.
In watching the tutorial video some thoughts/recommendations:
1. After a couple of times watching I'm confused as to what is important for a few reasons:
A. The word important/most important/synonyms is used more than once in the video in reference to different game functions leading to some confusion, below is a list of the times such language was used and what it was referencing:
(1:37 (neutral weapons) , 4:38 (recall) (useful is used, but that is a synonym for important in my mind as someone watching the video), 5:44 (warp in), 10:05 (warp in), 12:12 (T is referred to as the "do all", button, but this is confusing to me as a new player in which it has been indicated that "V" is the most important button), 14:10 (weapons), 16:25 (neutral weapons))
B. As was stated in the initial outset of the video there's a lot of information being thrown around
C. I would recommend breaking up the video/tutorial into different 'chunks'/smaller segments, because people are generally able to learn smaller amounts of information quicker, and I also now understand why companies make interactive tutorials, because after watching the video, I feel a bit lost/overwhelmed.
At times there is vague language used (e.g. 16:47: "neutral weapons are built down here"), yes I can see where the cursor is and what is being indicated, but having more specific language would reinforce this earlier on, and make it a bit easier, especially if I'm new, feeling overwhelmed, and haven't really played before.
At 1:07 the "using the play style you want to play and tunes well with your allies", is a bit frustrating to me. As it is right now, my play style as a competitive player is that of "I want to win". If there were a video on different play styles that exist, or could be used, it would go a long way in helping me feel less frustrated. The reason why I mention this is because this seems to be a thing in society writ large of "figure out what works for you", to be blunt, I and many others, are lazy and it would be helpful to have a road map to some semblance of success. A short video of, showing what an aggressive play style versus a defensive or mixed play style would be great.
At 5:47, I'm asking myself the question of "Why do I have to warp in units", logically I know there is likely a reason for it, but as a gamer I exist in an ecosystem in which tower games and others have auto spawns (e.g. LoL) making it easier/more intuitive for me.
After playing a first game some initial thoughts:
1. Why do I have to warp in units, this feels frustrating and an unnecessary action, auto-spawning would seem to be an easy way to fix this.
2. Pathing/unit collision feels off, especially when I'm trying to get to an objective/area and an ally is blocking my way, I suspect that will be fixed through the alpha/beta however.
3. I found myself hesitant to use neutral weapons in the game, because even after reading the descriptions I felt a bit overwhelmed with so many choices, and a bit confused as to what they did. To reduce this confusion what would help me is to have fewer choices and more simple text (difficult I know, sorry)
4. The AI seems to pull back at odd moments, giving a weird ebb and flow feel to the game, and breaks the experience for me. For instance, the AI could have kept being aggressive after killing my hero/units, but for no clear reason decided to pull back. A more intuitive/aggressive AI would make sense, or even choices between what type of AI (defensive, aggressive, mixed, etc...).
5. To move the camera around the map when the game started up I wanted to use WASD and found it non-intuitive that I had to use the arrow keys. Button remapping (if possible) could fix this.
6. I REALLY like how the game keeps me busy, too often I find myself bored in most games wanting to skip through stuff, not so much here.
7. Right now I feel like the game is missing 'personality' in that I have no real reason to identify/connect with different heroes, units, or maps. Voices, commands, and art can help fix that. Although again, I suspect this is an alpha thing more than anything else.
<3's and all the best,
Foehammer
Comments
Comments on tutorial are pretty on point. Once we have the entire game finalized and enter beta, we'll have more than enough resources to do a full, proper tutorial that covers everything clearly, from gameplay mechanics to different playstyles as you suggest.
When units automatically popped out, people constantly lost track of their units and were deeply frustrated all the time. Requiring players to press "V" to deploy solved this almost instantly.
I wrote a more extensive answer here https://guardiansofatlas.xyz/forums/discussion/115/chronofrost-impressions-and-ideas#latest. In short, it's an issue that we're continuing to iterate on
.
Let us know how the weapons feel as you play more and more. I would expect them to be initially overwhelming
The AI's a work in progress. These types o' things are on the roadmap.
There should be button re-mappability in the menu (gears in top right).
Yaaay! Woohoo! Let me know if it winds up being TOO overwhelming or gets TOO boring as you get used to it.
Yeaaaah we have literally NO official audio in the game yet and the in-game art is very minimal. My hope is that, after you've played for 10 days, you will have some emotional attachment to some of the characters/squads due to the gameplay. But, of course that takes time
. Eventually, we want you to love your characters <3
THANK YOU! :D
In relation to his comment about units spawning with "V" maybe, for those who want it you could have a toggle, kind of like how you can right click on the button that produces interceptors on Carriers in Starcraft II. That way if someone wants it to auto spawn, they can change the setting on-the-fly
I'm wary of this setting because it's "intuitive" to turn it on, but results in terrible gameplay experiences. We might test again once we do a map re-architecture. Possibly a better designed map would yield better unit movement and, as a result, would be easier to keep track of your units? I'm unconvinced though.