[Dospac]

This is a post I made on the Catacombs forum on Dec. 14th 2004, addressing this issue after it was brought up.

http://forums.thecatacombs.net/showp...&postcount=203 *how did that url go bad oh well fixed now :[*

A few people here have shown concern that our design priorities are off, that the focus will be too myopic, geared towards the existing community and not new players. Using me as an example of this so called elitism amongst the team cracks me up. I have long thought that TFC's biggest problem was the lack of direction and guidance for new players. I have worked extensively with new players for years, teaching them the game and based on their feedback, helping them improve in whichever way they need.

Valve's attempt to create new game types after v1100 was marginally successful at making the game easier to get into. Unfortunately they never addressed the fundamental problem of how to show new players the game and its classes, how they really function in relation to the objective based gameplay and the team. Historically TF has relied on players learning the game from others. Without prior clan experience in other games, new players essentially float around on pubs until they see somebody doing something they can't and inquire, or find a public server's niche community and go that route. If the more experienced players on the server do the right thing, a new player is born.

Beyond relying on other players, the primary areas we look to improve upon are creating an extensive in-game help system, both passively with a tip of the day type deal, and actively with an extensive Natural Selection like hint mode, on by default for first time players. At some point probably in beta, there will be a guided training map in the vein of HL1's hazard course, and possibly more elaborate map specific training elements.

Right now most of the ideas I'm working on relate directly to how we can make the game more fun for a new player while keeping them on task in the team structure(basic offense/defense and positioning concepts), how we can draw them in more easily. I am personally dedicated to making sure these issues are not only addressed, but solidly implemented with enough forethought to be meaningful for those new to the game.

Based on our design methodology, suggesting our team lacks the ability to make a fortress mod worthy of the average gamer's attention is silly. That's a huge priority, and given our makeup, is there any doubt that TFC fans won't be floored? This is an exciting time for TFC.