Post by Damian on Feb 15, 2016 13:30:23 GMT 10
The Pre-Alpha testing has been immensely useful in identifying player patterns, UI confusion, player control issues, minion control complexity, etc.
Combat in Lord of Decay can get a little hectic. We were aiming for an action-packed combat experience and that is what we have delivered.
However, we have learned that combat is too demanding of the player. During combat you need to keep track of the Blood Meter, issue minion attack commands, monitor your health, use health potions and attack with your equipped weapon.
This is difficult largely due to the fact that you have to take your hands away from WASD (player movement) keys to use potions and summon your Abomination.
In the hope of simplifying combat I wanted to take a moment to talk about drops and pickups in particular.
Door No. 1
At the moment health potions can be acquired from chests or dead enemy "drops". These potions can then be used by pressing the 6 key to "Use Health Potion".
Door No. 2
The alternative is something like Diablo III drop system where dead enemies drop a coloured orb upon death. The player need only run over the orb to "pick up" and instantly regain health/mana. This has the advantage of allowing the player to keep their hands on the moment keys at all times and engage in a fluid, uninterrupted combat experience and simplifies controls. Hooray!
There is an ongoing conversation about these two approaches.
Some say that the instant "pick up" approach is too simple and requires no skill. These player's want to be challenged and the higher risk of dying before getting to your "Use Health Potion" key fast enough adds to their enjoyment. Seconds really count and can decide success or failure.
There is a whole bunch of game design theory that covers possibility of failure or predetermined success that supports this.
Whereas the UX crowd state that user experience should remove complex or unnecessary key presses for a smoother experience that does not break player immersion. This clearly backs the instant pickup approach. These players prefer a less intense experience where death is not an imminent possibility and interactions require less effort.
Both arguments have merit. Neither is right or wrong, but they do deliver a vastly different play experience.
Our discussion is not over yet though.
Door No. 3
Another possibility is Quick Slot system like Elder Scrolls Online or Dragon Age: Inquisition. The player can equip usable items in a radial Quick Slot menu. In order to use a Quick Slot the player presses the Q key (which is conveniently close to WASD keys) and an item is selected with the mouse from a radial a menu.
The player still gets to keep their hands on the movement keys and mouse with minimum distraction and the immersion is not broken with complex key presses.
I prefer this approach for a few reasons.
I would probably slow time to 50% to allow the player a moment to breathe before selecting an item without significant punishment from enemies.
There is a fixed number of consumable potions in Lord of Decay so the menu would also be fixed. No need to make it customisable slots for the player to assign.
What do you think? Do you prefer instant pickups and simpler controls or do you want to specific key press the "Health Potion" for a more challenging experience? Or am I on the right track with a Quick Slot menu?
Combat in Lord of Decay can get a little hectic. We were aiming for an action-packed combat experience and that is what we have delivered.
However, we have learned that combat is too demanding of the player. During combat you need to keep track of the Blood Meter, issue minion attack commands, monitor your health, use health potions and attack with your equipped weapon.
This is difficult largely due to the fact that you have to take your hands away from WASD (player movement) keys to use potions and summon your Abomination.
In the hope of simplifying combat I wanted to take a moment to talk about drops and pickups in particular.
Door No. 1
At the moment health potions can be acquired from chests or dead enemy "drops". These potions can then be used by pressing the 6 key to "Use Health Potion".
Door No. 2
The alternative is something like Diablo III drop system where dead enemies drop a coloured orb upon death. The player need only run over the orb to "pick up" and instantly regain health/mana. This has the advantage of allowing the player to keep their hands on the moment keys at all times and engage in a fluid, uninterrupted combat experience and simplifies controls. Hooray!
There is an ongoing conversation about these two approaches.
Some say that the instant "pick up" approach is too simple and requires no skill. These player's want to be challenged and the higher risk of dying before getting to your "Use Health Potion" key fast enough adds to their enjoyment. Seconds really count and can decide success or failure.
There is a whole bunch of game design theory that covers possibility of failure or predetermined success that supports this.
Whereas the UX crowd state that user experience should remove complex or unnecessary key presses for a smoother experience that does not break player immersion. This clearly backs the instant pickup approach. These players prefer a less intense experience where death is not an imminent possibility and interactions require less effort.
Both arguments have merit. Neither is right or wrong, but they do deliver a vastly different play experience.
Our discussion is not over yet though.
Door No. 3
Another possibility is Quick Slot system like Elder Scrolls Online or Dragon Age: Inquisition. The player can equip usable items in a radial Quick Slot menu. In order to use a Quick Slot the player presses the Q key (which is conveniently close to WASD keys) and an item is selected with the mouse from a radial a menu.
The player still gets to keep their hands on the movement keys and mouse with minimum distraction and the immersion is not broken with complex key presses.
I prefer this approach for a few reasons.
- More potions will be added soon to cancel combat effects e.g. "Cure Poison", "Escape Death", "Quench Flame", etc.
- It is similar to the Reanimate Undead radial menu. Consistency is key!
- We need to support radial menus for gamepads
I would probably slow time to 50% to allow the player a moment to breathe before selecting an item without significant punishment from enemies.
There is a fixed number of consumable potions in Lord of Decay so the menu would also be fixed. No need to make it customisable slots for the player to assign.
What do you think? Do you prefer instant pickups and simpler controls or do you want to specific key press the "Health Potion" for a more challenging experience? Or am I on the right track with a Quick Slot menu?
