Add language about the challenge of bldg size/shape changes to the “Did You Know” tips

[AtaguS]

The suggestion is to add a line or two to the” Did You Know?” tips on the loading screen which reference the game’s intended challenge of planning ahead to account for buildings changing shape and size with chapter upgrades. As well as a line warning players in advance that buildings are not rotatable. The objective is to cut down on new player frustration and the number of requests for temporary storage in the forum.

Reasons for asking:

• Having it listed at the top of the forum as a “never gonna happen” item and having at least half a dozen forum regulars ready with a quick response doesn’t seem to be doing much to lower the frequency of these requests.
• It occurs to me that the forum requests we are seeing must be just a fragment of the number of actual players feeling frustrated by this in the game worlds. How many just get annoyed and quit?
• Similar-ish games like FoE or Farmville DO offer a way for players to redesign. It follows that many might think not having this option a game flaw before they are here long enough to learn that it is actually a fundamental game challenge. Why not tell them upfront in the “Did You Know” tips line?
• Planning ahead and having to strategize in order to make everything fit as you grow would be a great tip for new players – especially since teleport spells aren’t available through the spire until chapter 3.

Examples of lines to add to “Did You Know?”:

• Buildings change size and shape as you upgrade them. Plan ahead to make sure you have enough space.
• Teleport spells can be won in the Spire and are the only way to temporarily store buildings.
• There is no temporary storage to help with re-designing your city. That is part of the challenge and the fun!
• Buildings change shape and size as they upgrade, plan your space wisely
• Buildings do not rotate, be sure to plan ahead when placing them

Anyone have a better way of saying it more succinctly? (I know I can be wordy)

Pros

• Less new-player frustration which in some case may lead to a player quitting
• new players would know upfront that this isn't a game flaw but a challenge you are expected to cope with as part of the fun.
• Fewer requests to add a temp storage/rotating feature for redesign in the forum
• Seems simple enough from a coding/time perspective
• I’ve seen some new tips added there recently, so Inno can’t be opposed to giving out good advice

Cons

• The forum drinking game will see less action
  • Solution: Well there are plenty of “Better rewards please” or “Universal Artifacts please” threads to play with
• Fewer players driven in frustration to the forum who then stick around and become valuable contributors
  • Solution: Add a line to “Did you Know” inviting players to the forum!

Have I missed anything here? Hopefully we can refine this a bit and take it to a vote some day?

[Edited to include the rotation of building issue which seems closely related. But open to keeping it separate if it complicates the original idea]

 

[Kekune]

I'd suggest an addition about building rotation.

 

[AtaguS]

I'd suggest an addition about building rotation.

Nice! Gonna add that. If it gets a ton of feedback saying it muddies the idea, we can always start a second one.

 

[Yogi Dave]

I like this idea. It takes a while to read them all, but they did help to begin with and these can reduce that frustration of "Why can't we <whatever>"?

Mentioning the spire would be confusing to new players unless there is another tip saying you need to be in chapter 3 before you can play the it.

I’ve seen some new tips added there recently, so Inno can’t be opposed to giving out good advice

This made me chuckle for some reason. I also liked the cons and think a tip about joining the forum to find drinking buddies is a great. Oh, did I misread that?

 

[AtaguS]

This made me chuckle for some reason. I also liked the cons and think a tip about joining the forum to find drinking buddies is a great. Oh, did I misread that?

Haha, no. I'd seen it suggested before that the forum start a drinking game...take a drink every time someone requests a rotating building or temp storage for redesign. lol lol

Mentioning the spire would be confusing to new players unless there is another tip saying you need to be in chapter 3 before you can play the it.

Good point. I'll be on the lookout to see if such a tip exists about the Spire

 

[shimmerfly]

I'm in!

 

[Deleted User - 4646370]

Mentioning the spire would be confusing to new players unless there is another tip saying you need to be in chapter 3 before you can play the it.

This tip already exists. It would still be confusing if someone gets the tips in the wrong order though.

 

[Yogi Dave]

It would still be confusing if someone gets the tips in the wrong order though.

Maybe a little, but it would be self correcting instead of just staying confusing. Some of the tips made no sense to me when I started until I played the game.

The ones that really frustrated me were the ones saying something like, "It's best to spell your building before you collect. Just remember to..." Just remember what? Will there be another tip that tells me what to remember? Nope, there wasn't.

 

[Ashrem]

The ones that really frustrated me were the ones saying something like, "It's best to spell your building before you collect. Just remember to..." Just remember what? Will there be another tip that tells me what to remember? Nope, there wasn't.

I bug reported that one, and was told it was correct as is. I did not bother to reply....

 

[Evening Star Selene]

I am absolutely for this suggestion @AtaguS! I can personally relate that I almost quit the game a few times before I learned that this was intentional. Now that I know this is a deliberate design, and not a poor game plan, I have fun challenging myself to fit my city to my needs.

 

[AtaguS]

I am absolutely for this suggestion @AtaguS! I can personally relate that I almost quit the game a few times before I learned that this was intentional. Now that I know this is a deliberate design, and not a poor game plan, I have fun challenging myself to fit my city to my needs.

Thanks Glad you stuck around the game and are enjoying it now. I hope the idea takes off. It seems like a simple enough thing to try at any rate

 

[Xelenia]

I like any idea that will make my job easier on the forum

 

[Yogi Dave]

I like any idea that will make my job easier on the forum

The forum really need a double like and a humor style like for many of @mucksterme 's post.

 

[SoulsSilhouette]

I don't know how many people actually pay attention to the tips at the beginning. I never did until I had an issue which caused the game to load so slowly that I could make a cup of tea before it came up. No such issue now, so I never see the tips.

 

[LisaMV]

This is a brilliant and simple idea! One of those 'so obvious why didn't we think of this before?' ideas, always the best. I learned a great deal from those tips, and yes, some of them were greek to me in the beginning, but that's how it always is for toddlers.
(I have often wondered why the tips don't follow your chapter needs: yes, I think in ch 6 I am aware of Neighborly Help! but could have used some pointers going into DwarfLand.)

ROTATING BUILDINGS = omg, enough already! The buildings in this game are drawn so amazingly perfectly, with the late morning sun/shadows etc, which is the reason the cities are so exceptionally beautiful. If you rotated the buildings, all the light would have to shift: on every nook and cranny, on every house and person; on the sleeve of the tiny dwarf hammering away; on every single leaf on every tree; on every different angle on every rock; etc etc etc! I wish people would appreciate that aspect of this game, and the tremendous amount of detailed work that went into each one of these buildings. This is the reason I even 'clicked' that Play Elevenar link in the first place. I come from a family of artists, so perhaps I am more sensitive & appreciative of this than normal, but take a moment at the fullest zoom level you can to see this amazing detail, and give credit for the extraordinary amount of work it took to create it.
But I do agree - a helpful hint/reminder that the buildings can never be rotated would be a good thing to preempt that frustration.

 

[SoulsSilhouette]

ROTATING BUILDINGS = omg, enough already! The buildings in this game are drawn so amazingly perfectly, with the late morning sun/shadows etc, which is the reason the cities are so exceptionally beautiful. If you rotated the buildings, all the light would have to shift: on every nook and cranny, on every house and person; on the sleeve of the tiny dwarf hammering away; on every single leaf on every tree; on every different angle on every rock; etc etc etc! I wish people would appreciate that aspect of this game, and the tremendous amount of detailed work that went into each one of these buildings. This is the reason I even 'clicked' that Play Elevenar link in the first place. I come from a family of artists, so perhaps I am more sensitive & appreciative of this than normal, but take a moment at the fullest zoom level you can to see this amazing detail, and give credit for the extraordinary amount of work it took to create it.

I like the way the buildings look as well. I am not a fan of the rotation, but it would be great if there was a way to redesign the city without deleting a ton or teleporting it. Though if there was a useful tip out there, how about reminding players who teleport a bunch of buildings for space for the FA, .... Before you restore, take a moment to consider redesign.... I actually have a note on my message board by my gaming PC, that reminds me to do this. I gave up with the notes posted on my laptop.. they fall off.

 

[shimmerfly]

I did read them at first until they got repetative, so some new humorous ones would be nice change.

 

[SoulsSilhouette]

Like... Did you know if you used a thigh master while playing this game, it counts as exercise?

 

[Evening Star Selene]

I don't know how many people actually pay attention to the tips at the beginning. I never did until I had an issue which caused the game to load so slowly that I could make a cup of tea before it came up. No such issue now, so I never see the tips.

I actually found them helpful when my game was loading... and yes, I have veeeery slow internet!

 

[Deleted User - 4646370]

Another important "Did you know" that is missing : "Join or create a Fellowship to unlock Tournaments". This one is also missing is the list of advantages to be in a FS where you're not in one.