Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The FRED Workshop => Topic started by: Mobius on March 19, 2009, 06:38:03 pm

Title: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Mobius on March 19, 2009, 06:38:03 pm
Since no standalone mods featuring campaigns shouldn't be released without training missions(or people will complain) I need to create at least one training mission for INFASA, covering some advanced stuff like navpoints.

Do you think a single training mission would confuse players? In that case, what's the recommended number of training missions?
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: dragonsniper on March 19, 2009, 07:16:40 pm
IMO, the wing commander saga demo covered a lot of stuff that was nice to know, but there were to many training missions (once again this is just my own opinion.) Personally, I like 1 good solid training mission. But then again, it also depends on how much you need to cover. If there's a lot the player needs to know, then more than 1 training mission would be nice. :)
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: eliex on March 20, 2009, 05:09:38 pm
Generally player would have already finished the original FS campaigns  and gained a detailed knowledge about flying. You would only need to cover new features that your campaign adds.
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: captain-custard on March 20, 2009, 05:15:00 pm
things that are important in a training mission are:-

1.fun

2. a taste of what is to follow


but basically id do nav points , subsystem targetting and countermeasures if they are needed

but other than that make it fun

 
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: SypheDMar on March 20, 2009, 09:37:55 pm
Assuming that INFASA is based on FS, I don't think that countermeasure (and all training related topics) training would be required, so I agree with eliex. Of course, a training mission shouldn't feel like busy work. Make it faster than the FS ones, too. Most campaigns with training mission that I've played usually take as long as or longer than the main campaign. No matter how good a training mission is, players want to skip to the real action.
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Krelus on March 22, 2009, 05:14:19 pm
A.) You need to cover the new features of the campaign in question.

B.) You need someone with a *really* dry voice.
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Mobius on March 23, 2009, 02:03:03 pm
You're actually forgetting the fact that INFASA, just like the name suggests, is Standalone. It means that people with minimal-to-nonexistent experience with FS might be playing it - that's why training missions are needed. Most players would skip those missions but the others would have to start the campaign without even knowing how to manage the basics(targeting, orders, etc. etc.).
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Krelus on March 23, 2009, 10:39:25 pm
You're actually forgetting the fact that INFASA, just like the name suggests, is Standalone. It means that people with minimal-to-nonexistent experience with FS might be playing it - that's why training missions are needed. Most players would skip those missions but the others would have to start the campaign without even knowing how to manage the basics(targeting, orders, etc. etc.).

Haha, I just remembered what the SA stands for.

I stand by my "dry voice" advice, though.
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Vidmaster on March 25, 2009, 10:56:48 am
just copy Kara's Basic Flight  :lol:
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: SypheDMar on March 26, 2009, 08:50:01 pm
You're actually forgetting the fact that INFASA, just like the name suggests, is Standalone. It means that people with minimal-to-nonexistent experience with FS might be playing it - that's why training missions are needed. Most players would skip those missions but the others would have to start the campaign without even knowing how to manage the basics(targeting, orders, etc. etc.).
Make it fun and fast, then.
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Raskolnikov on March 29, 2009, 12:19:03 pm
Inferno: Alliance may be stand alone, but your audience is still going to be players who have already completed Fs2, for the most part. The majority of those who have not completed Fs2 will still have played space sims or at least have had basic experience with a keyboard and monitor, so you can omitt subjects along the lines of "turn your ship towards mine, good, now turn on your afterburners without killing yourself, good."

INFA-TSM-01: Basic dogfighting
INFA-TSM-02: Unique campaign features



Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Mobius on March 30, 2009, 12:07:15 pm
I doubt it. If you take a look at ModDB you'd find people with minimal-to-nonexistent knowledge of FreeSpace interested on FreeSpace games/mods. Some even ask for easy-to-lean controls. That's why I started creating training missions for INFASA in the first place.

Since I did, I'm doing and I will do a lot for INFASA I want it to be playable. :)
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: wistler on April 08, 2009, 11:33:08 am
I doubt it. If you take a look at ModDB you'd find people with minimal-to-nonexistent knowledge of FreeSpace interested on FreeSpace games/mods. Some even ask for easy-to-lean controls. That's why I started creating training missions for INFASA in the first place.

Since I did, I'm doing and I will do a lot for INFASA I want it to be playable. :)


If that's the case then why not port the fs2 training missions but make them relevent to your mod. Not much point reinventing the wheel if the fundamentals haven't changed radically. Stick an extra mission on the end that is campaign relevent or integrate these into the actual camping, so the first time you do something new a little bit of explanation of how to do it is given.
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Mobius on April 12, 2009, 05:55:15 am
I'm basing the training missions on the ones seen in FreeSpace 2. I'm merging all the hints they give in two training missions. :)
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Knight Templar on April 12, 2009, 01:24:00 pm
I doubt it. If you take a look at ModDB you'd find people with minimal-to-nonexistent knowledge of FreeSpace interested on FreeSpace games/mods. Some even ask for easy-to-lean controls. That's why I started creating training missions for INFASA in the first place.

Since I did, I'm doing and I will do a lot for INFASA I want it to be playable. :)


Without irony, may I ask, how many? I sincerely doubt that there are that many people looking to play your mod (or anyone's for that matter) who've never heard of or touched Freespace in their lives  before.
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: The E on April 12, 2009, 05:44:17 pm
Well, BtrL and WCS still manage to draw people in, not to mention TBP.
Title: Re: Designing good training missions...
Post by: Mongoose on April 13, 2009, 11:57:22 am
Well, BtrL and WCS still manage to draw people in, not to mention TBP.
Yes, but those are all total conversions based on external universes.  Inferno is set within the confines of the FreeSpace universe, so I'd find it highly doubtful that anyone will choose to play them without first going through the retail campaigns.