The New User Experience (Landmark)

More character customization options, it looks kinda strange that every single person looks pretty much exactly the same. I also really wanna be a lizard :3

Honestly I'm a bit worried that so many people are voting for the "clear and established goals" option.

The following quote basically summarizes what I think we don't want to lose

The process of discovery and having to learn how the world works is a good thing. The fact that the game doesn't tell you the name of resources you can't yet harvest, IMO is really great. Because once I get the correct tool to harvest it I get that sense of discover "oh wow, so that material I've been seeing all this time but couldn't harvest was silver ore all along".
It's more immersive than a magical popup window that tells me the name of every material and whether or not my pick is strong enough to mine it from a distance (and within a fantasy setting? That doesn't sit well with me)

I voted 1 - More Character Customization Options - although all the poll choices are important for a new user. There will, of course, be plenty of players who are so impatient to get into the game that they will click through character creation as fast as possible and for whom more customization options will actually be detrimental but I am guessing that those will be players who are less likely to hang around long enough to become invested anyway.

For the rest of us, there is a huge buy-in when we crate our character. If you get that right then the door is wedged firmly open. Once I step into any new world in a form that feels comfortable and which belongs there, the chances of my staying and settling down are heavily improved.

I understand that Landmark will launch only with Human characters. If it was to be a pure building game, a glorified toolset, that would scarcely be a problem. You have, however, said repeatedly that Landmark will be a full-feature MMO and one to which you have chosen firmly to attach the Everquest brand. That brand brings with it expectations and one of them is a wide choice of fantasy races. If there is any possible way to add some of the established EQ races (which, by and large, are also highly popular races throughout the heroic fantasy genre) it could only add to the New Player Experience.

Moving on from character creation, will there be NPCs in Landmark? Again, for a new player the impact of learning the ropes from an NPC is much stronger than if the same information is delivered via a tool-tip or a pop-up hint. Those, too, have their place but nothing beats a friendly face and a welcoming voice, even if they belong to an AI-generated character.

It's very good that you don't propose to use a prolonged tutorial. I believe those do more harm than good. What's needed is a quick, simple, brisk introduction to the absolute basics that follows a natural progression. As the new player moves away from the spawning-in point his or her eye should be drawn naturally to the next step. I realize that Landmark will not have quests as such but a very simple task that incorporates equipping a pick, mining a resource, using a crafting station and making an item would help to orient new players who may be uncomfortable and unfamiliar with totally undirected play. The very simple quest in EQ2 that has a new player crafting an item that gives a boost to run speed is the model to follow.

Perhaps the most difficult concept to grasp in Landmark is the Claim. I would recommend that new players be given a very simple, small claim automatically, without needing to work out what they need to do and how to go about doing it. These claims could be temporary, lasting only as long as it takes for the player to become accustomed to the process and feel the need for something more substantial.

Beyond that I don't believe much hand-holding should be necessary. Players who carry on long enough to outgrow their starter claim will already be sufficiently motivated to learn what they need to know to progress.

• I want the customization to exceed what Aion did. I use HOURS on customizing my characters, This is a HUGE factor for me. (but do use tabs, like "basic - " and "advanced - " customization)

Also, please let us change the hair whenever we want, for free. Please! I'm begging you with my face in the dust.

Why not introduce a tool for us to make new types of hair, that can be uploaded to the player studio, and if it exceeds a certain popularity point, you bring that one in to the game.

• For new players, a quick intro into what you should do in the first few hours is crucial, I have a friend that have a hard time figuring out what to do in these kinds of games, unless I explains it to her in dept. If I don't, she will literally HATE the game, It took me days getting her to move back into Starbound, and now she loves it :/

She has no problem with minecraft, she even uses industrial mods. But getting into new games like Starbound and EQNL takes time. This is why I think a tutorial based on experience level should be introduced.

• Camera, atm I have no incentive to use the first person camera when digging, because of the FOV settings. One setting for 1st and 3rd person camera would be a good option to have, I know a lot of gamers that are really dependent on FOV sliders, 70 to 110-120 seems to be the sweet spot, because of those who use triple screens, like me

The more I invest into my character, the more invested I am in the game. And, tbh, I AGONIZE over character creation, but like Aazimar said, too much can cause be a little intimidating. Still you need enough that you can fully make a character truly unique. This also means (and I know this sounds counter-intuitive) not making characters or faces too distinctive, that even with modifications, the original still persists through (an issue i noted in videos on Wildstar character customization...no mater how much i change it, I will always be able to tell which template I used...and this can be a bit of a nuisance.

Well defined goals to me seems...counter intuitive for a game that is all about player choice in playstyle and choice. While I think there could be a little direction, I'd prefer the game provide me with as little direction as possible. Even with a little direction and influence, then players will come to expect such direction and influence even later in the game. Plus I'm not one who takes will to being told where to go and what to do. A little direction....sure, I guess. But even in minecraft, I enjoy those moments of pure discovery. Same with EQN...bare minimum direction even at start. Let me decide where i want to go and do, I don't need to be told to go to an RC or anything else, I want to do what I want, when I want, even from the get go. Add some story or some backroom politics to add to the ambiance and plot, and really I have everything I need

Please, if you haven't done it or even consider it yet. Add strafing to the movement keys. There is no excuse not to have it any more. The ability to move at 45 degree angles instead of a 90 base system is just natural when using WASD commands. Just use Q and E and your done.

When I first started landmark I was in a T3 zone (granded this wont happen to beta/launch) And was not able to harvest anything untill I had to look up wth I was doing wrong, Oh der gotta be in T1 to start. Had I not been very interested/payed for it already I might have said to hell with it after 30 mins or an hour of going what the heck?

So above all else the game needs to have some small focused direction from when you log in, so that you at least gain a very basic understanding of your situation.

Controlls are huge, if i log in and feel like I have confusion on its going to get old quick. However I can say right now the controlls are pretty good, no big complaints other then the camera can be annoying while mining, and first person dosen't really feel right?

Character customization is also a big one, everyone wants many options perhaps even options they can blend in a way other games have not allowed.

I would put the identify resorces and crafting as the next goal because from the moment you start the game till the moment you make your claim and have the tools/resourses to really start on your grand creation, You will be out in the world harvesting, fighting, crafting for most people building will be the last thing they press into.

Tools need some work as they are you can manage but some aspects of them seem to make things harder

The biggest problem I had as a New Player in Landmark was the inability to place a claim. I spent four hours running around trying to find a clear plot. Then I had to go back and make my gear. By the time I got back the plot had been deleted!

Why do we have to choose only one? Why can't we have all of these? I don't get the reasoning behind this. My only guess is that they are trying to see what priorities that the players base sees as priority.

I think they'll do all of the above anyway eventually, but currently asking 'cause they wanna know what to focus on first.

Okay, I will fully admit that I am biased in my decision to select (and please bare with me, this is a long post going into detail about my choice and my opinion on each poll choice):

More character customization, and I'm talking RACES here.

Landmark it its own thing, but it is still attached to Everquest very strongly and not just in name. We can even have our stuff be brought from Landmark and be purchasable in Everquest Next. So anyone going into the game would expect some flair of Everquest in it. One of Everquest's shticks was its many interesting races. Now, I understand that Landmark started Human only because this was the only race that was probably done at this point, and even then, it's not done as there are about 3 faces, four or so hairstyles and facial hair, and a skin tone. Appearance wise its very restricting. And now you have most everyone looking very similar (though not exactly the same, pretty close).

Character Customization is often shuffled to the side, as most would agree it's not as important as gameplay. I can say with confidence that it's just as important as any other feature of the game. Having a character that's awesome and yours makes new players invested in the game right out of the gate. It's the first feature that new players see. If this feature is very lacking (which Landmark is in every sense of the term) you already scored low in many new player's eyes. This may be an Alpha, but it still counts. Plus, adding races (even if just starting small, like Dwarves and Elves) will only add to the appeal. That is why I picked character creation and why I also said to implement new races as soon as you are able. It makes me rather happy to see so many agree with me on this.

Now that Character Creation is out of the way, the next thing people see once they made their character is the wide open world. You're given a pick, an axe, the shirt on your back and a map. Most people going into Landmark will know that it's a Minecraft esk Sandbox game. Anyone who's done even a lick of research on the game before playing it will know that the first thing you should do is harvest and not kill boars for loot and XP(though those may come later if we need hides and leathers and such). Though I will admit that it's pretty much "Welcome to Landmark! Have at it!". I personally think this is fine for a game designed entirely to be a literal sandbox in which you build stuff to your own hearts content, but a short tutorial on how to move about, collect resources, and build stuff would never hurt. Once newbies have the basics, they can mostly take it from there to find a claim and start making their own stuff.

You already have controls pretty spot on. Good ole WSAD, right click to interact, left click to move stuff, mouse to move about and angle the camera. Also, Shift+Scroll Wheel to zoom in and out (it took me a while to figure this out). You also have little pop up helpers in build mode that tells you how to change modes using Tab or Shift+Tab. This is pretty standard stuff that anyone who's played MMOs or other computer games knows already. I would de-emphasize this choice as it can be slightly improved, but other areas are drastically lacking and should be sought first.

You already have a decent set of tools to work and build with, I say improve what's already there (Lookin' at you Line Tool). I would probably ask for a better array of building block (or sphere or triangle or what not) sizes. I will understand and accept if this is not feasible due to the way the voxels snap to each other.

As far as labeling resources, I figure out pretty quickly what they are. I kinda like going "Ooooo new shiney purple spot, I wonder what this is" and then trying to dig it. If I can't dig it I know I have to come back later, if I do dig it I find out immediately what it is in the Loot tab. I feel the issue of defining resources is a non issue. If you're banking on exploration and discovery, it does not behoove you if you remove the discovery part.

Crafting works. It's just kinda boring right now. Something more akin to Everquest 2 would be ideal for most. Don't have to fix what isn't broke but making it a bit more engaging never hurts.

I believe that covers everything. So for the short and sweet version:

1. Character Customization (RACES, or more than three options in each category, much emphasis)
2. Clear, Established Goals for the first few minutes of play (Less emphasis, most people complain about hand holding)
3. Refinement of Building Tools (less emphasis, it works, but could be improved)
4. Improved Crafting (I didn't even mention the identified resources, leave them unidentified! The only difficult part about resource gathering was remembering what color each material was)
5. Better controls (Works as intended for an MMORPG, a non issue)

Races

Don't forget the Races

THE RACES are important.

Also, first post on forums. Hi. Races.

When I started playing Landmark, I was lost, too. I had no idea about claiming, I had no idea about tools, areas, building, the crafting station. But that was not the problem: We've all been here before. And we start exploring, we use the forums, we interact & communicate and slowly the world opens up for you. I love this feeling of learning more and more about a game without just going to a website, read the next crafting/boss/combat/skilltree guide.

However, what I am really, really missing is a plot. A reason. Even Minecraft has a kind of plot next to all the sandbox. You do not need to show it directly from the start, but it should unfold the more I play the game. Next to this, character customisation will help me to identify with my toon

OK I am happy to admit my noob status.... after nearly 2 weeks I finally found out that there was a chat system in the game. I had tried different chat commands from other games but none seemed to work and I truly felt like I was the only person playing the game. Yes Im a reasonable forum user and finally found a post that told me how to use *general* chat. However its still not optimal as a chat tool because its so full of *entered and left* messages its very annoying to look at.

We need far more customization options then we have now. We need longer hair, more faces. The clipping isn't as much as an issue due to the awesome engine, ABUSE it.

Also.. RACEs... Racial Identity should be important.

I agree with this.

I really don't see how character customization can be what people find the most important to improve a new user's experience? So you're character looks unique and super cool but when you eventually start the game then you're like..."Erm what now"?

Focus is needed on letting users know what they can do in the game and which tools they have at their disposal. I actually selected Refinement of building tools over Clear, established goals for your first few minutes of play since i felt that building was the core of Landmark.

Maybe we can have an in-game pre-quest/tutorial which takes you through all the steps of combat, finding claims and building things and so on, so you as a player get familiar with them? I'm not talking about some boring pop-ups of informational text but some fun filled, action packed scenarios you need to get through in order to "survive" in Landmark.

Hmm... I picked character customization for a few reasons:

- Everything else seems kinda intuitive.

- If social tools are good enough, the lack of clear goals or resources could push new players to ask questions to old ones. Which would actually help integrate them into the community.

- I am afraid, that by making it to easy in the begining the game starts giving a themepark feeling instead of a sandboxy one.

For me setting "clear and established goals" is something that doesn't belong in a true sandbox. Sandboxes are all about freedom, and for players to set their own goals.

When I was a new player the only problem I had was I couldn't find any copper veins, and it took me maybe an hour to realise I was not in a suitable starter zone, and I had to portal to a tier 1 zone. So the only thing I'd like changed is to prevent new players from spawning in tier 2 or 3 zones.

Camera and 1st person view, free mouse view would be nice. Shift mousewheel for camera ist not intuitiv.

The most disturbing for me was to identify the progression of the crafting stations and of the tools (as no tiers are marked).

Also the tool stats were are clear (damage, speed, seize) and the influence of all the goodies you may equip.

What is still difficult for me is to expand the selection cube to be able to select larger objects.

Some more races would be nice ( I guess they will come with the time?

Chat labels shoud be splitable.

Apart that I like very much the sandbox character of the game, that you have to find out how things work and what things do. I mean in Minecraft you have to find out how flip flop circuits are to be build.... you know what I mean? In EQ1 maps and quests were to be find on 3rd party sides contributed by the community. In pen and paper style games you draw the mazes on paper yourself (Bard's tale e.g.) Make it not too simple, but the controls should be intuitive to move and to look around.

In EQNL I had no idea at all how these hooks do function until I build one and found out how to use it *lol*

Character customization / avatar creation is the one thing that I am frankly nervous about. I know it's only an alpha but I am hoping for a much more amazing avatar (and a heck of a lot more customization options) than I currently have.
I'm not worrying too much about it right now since we're early in the game development but I will be utterly crushed if Landmark/Next features avatars no better than what I'm seeing right now.