Improving experience for new players

[M@tt]

if your planning on keeping the same template for the site, i would center everything and make the font larger and add more images, maybe of gameplay (note* there is nowhere on the site at all that gives a clear image of the actual game, this i think is a huge problem, it makes new users have to go into the game blindly having no idea what to expect) . the home page needs to suck its new comers into the game, ours does not. I go to it almost every day and never read a thing, there's to many words. if you posted a update to the news, i prolly wouldnt even noticed it for at least a week. Maybe adding a smaller sized top 25 to the homepage would be a good idea, or a shortened top 10 just for the home page.

In regards to the tutorial, the way its set up is even if you read the tutorial before entering the game, (which most dont) your still completely lost. you have no idea what the images are that you are looking at, where you would find them, how they are relevant to the environment that you still havnt even seen. think a better idea would be instead of posting a lengthy video, would be to add in game images with descriptions, for example:







of course it would be a bit cleaner and more in depth, but you get the idea, it helps give the new user a better understanding of the environment that they will be playing in rather than the puny images on the current guide that can be very confusing.

[phr33k]

M@tt definately has the right approach. Could just make the text cleaner with a "text bubble" type underlay.

I still think a video with or without voice narration and on screen cues would be the best way though.

[Krusty]

I'll do the voice over, a chavvy, slightly scouce brit telling you how to get your tank on.

[M@tt]

no, we would definitely need Alec Baldwin or Morgan Freeman to do the voice

[curtis89]

no, we would definitely need Alec Baldwin or Morgan Freeman to do the voice

If Morgan Freeman narrates TP the community will expand in epic proportions FACT!

On topic: I think the guest system SW suggested is good. When it comes to what should be on the site (the home screen) there def has to be more happening. There has to be something that allows players to know that the game is active! There has to be some sort of flow of energy!

The way I see tankpit right now metaphorically speaking; it's like looking at a wall that somebody painted words on. There's no life to it. People can look at it and think "Oh this looks exciting" in a sarcastic tone. There has to be some kind of life to it! Add a high score list of most deactivation's, deaths, hours, something! Or like phr33k said; something that shows recent deactivation's/promotions. There has to be something to draw you in. The first thing a new player sees is that site. Give that new player something to snoop around and look at. Maybe he will see the high scores or recent deaths and be like hey I want to be a part of this.

[Krusty]

Something as simple as "Currently playing".

This could be a list of every player who is in the map,
Again, to boost activity, since players like their name at the top of a list, the one who has been in the longest at the top and going down in order. (Also going back to why active players list should return to this!)

or

A list of "logged in" players, if a player is logged in they are usually in and out of the map,

or

Just something simple like "There are currently ### playing".

[TekiaTequila]

lots of worthy ideas :)

[DemonicTank]

I think SW wants more Direction what The Website should look like In this Topic, Although good ideas in here.

[zubby]

I need help/ideas as my design skills are lacking. Pictures/screenshots would be good.

Question: How should the website look/flow when new players first discover it?

I'm thinking something along the lines of this on the main page:

Code: Select all

Getting Started
1. Pick a tank name: [   ]
2. Play now as guest
3. Register for free to save your progress, create multiple tanks, and more!

Or it could be laid out like so:

Code: Select all

Play now as Guest!                         Register for free!
   * Pick a tank name: [   ]       or        * Save your progress
   * Try it!                                 * Create multiple tanks
                                             * And more...

Or in some other way. Note: for returning guests, this will be slightly different, like "Welcome back"....

The goal is to improve the experience for new players. Programmatically, I have this in mind for the new guest system:
- Guests get 1 tank tied to their session (cookies)
- The tank's stats are not lost when they quit like current/old style guests
- The tank can be replaced with a different tank if desired
- If they register this becomes the first tank on their account
- After a period of inactivity these tanks would be deleted (they are orphaned if the user deletes his cookies)

A lot of the website flow/design will need updating. Getting a good front page is probably the hardest step (or maybe it's just the first in a long line of hard steps ).

Let's stick to discussing website changes in this thread.

I like the Play now as guest one. I think its better to just go show them the game right away and let curiosity help along the way. Then they can discover to make tank names, win awards, etc.

[savin]

On a 720P monitor, when I tried to load the game at 2x. Alot of the applet gets cutoff by the bottom part of the website due to it being in an IFrame.
I want to play on 2X because I find that my tele's are alot more accurate with a bigger game, less room for error.
I don't know how other feel about that.

In TPv1 I played over 200 hours as 200% and for this very reason I am unable to play with that setting in TPv2, I'm stuck using default 100%.

[SW]

On a 720P monitor, when I tried to load the game at 2x. Alot of the applet gets cutoff by the bottom part of the website due to it being in an IFrame.
I want to play on 2X because I find that my tele's are alot more accurate with a bigger game, less room for error.
I don't know how other feel about that.

In TPv1 I played over 200 hours as 200% and for this very reason I am unable to play with that setting in TPv2, I'm stuck using default 100%.

Try "play detached".

Should probably do something better about that tho.

Tbh I hate much of the site layout, I'm just incapable of doing anything better. I didn't even create the current layout (other TP creator did it).

[invazn]

Holy shit, adding a "Contact" tab at the top of the page was my LB submission 2 months into TP1.

[M@tt]

On a 720P monitor, when I tried to load the game at 2x. Alot of the applet gets cutoff by the bottom part of the website due to it being in an IFrame.
I want to play on 2X because I find that my tele's are alot more accurate with a bigger game, less room for error.
I don't know how other feel about that.

In TPv1 I played over 200 hours as 200% and for this very reason I am unable to play with that setting in TPv2, I'm stuck using default 100%.

Try "play detached".

Should probably do something better about that tho.

Tbh I hate much of the site layout, I'm just incapable of doing anything better. I didn't even create the current layout (other TP creator did it).

im not quite as good at html as i used to be but someone else might be, and could prolly fix it up real quick.

here's a free template that i found that i think would work very nicely and wouldn't be too hard to edit. just switch in some images, etc.

http://www.wix.com/website-template/view/html/705?utm_content=ma_html_fwt_temp_2_4Game&utm_medium=template_banner&utm_campaign=ma_fwt&utm_source=freewebsitetemplates&experiment_id=ma_html_fwt_temp_2_4Game&utm_term=games

[Krusty]

On a 720P monitor, when I tried to load the game at 2x. Alot of the applet gets cutoff by the bottom part of the website due to it being in an IFrame.
I want to play on 2X because I find that my tele's are alot more accurate with a bigger game, less room for error.
I don't know how other feel about that.

In TPv1 I played over 200 hours as 200% and for this very reason I am unable to play with that setting in TPv2, I'm stuck using default 100%.

Try "play detached".

Should probably do something better about that tho.

Tbh I hate much of the site layout, I'm just incapable of doing anything better. I didn't even create the current layout (other TP creator did it).

im not quite as good at html as i used to be but someone else might be, and could prolly fix it up real quick.

here's a free template that i found that i think would work very nicely and wouldn't be too hard to edit. just switch in some images, etc.

http://www.wix.com/website-template/view/html/705?utm_content=ma_html_fwt_temp_2_4Game&utm_medium=template_banner&utm_campaign=ma_fwt&utm_source=freewebsitetemplates&experiment_id=ma_html_fwt_temp_2_4Game&utm_term=games

See: Groudskeeper Willie or w.e AOW tank he goes by now. He's pretty handy with PS and HTML.

[DemonicTank]

Why not use a wordpress CMS? site those can get pretty good looking...

[Zenta]

Yo why was double click to pick up equipment and move obstacles changed. You got something against the old school players? FACT. Fuck these scrubs these are the way controls were suppose and meant to be. I am demanding this be changed back or I will never play this scrub game again. Fuck you BLUNTZ. FACT

[Krusty]

Yo why was double click to pick up equipment and move obstacles changed. You got something against the old school players? FACT. Fuck these scrubs these are the way controls were suppose and meant to be. I am demanding this be changed back or I will never play this scrub game again. Fuck you BLUNTZ. FACT

Lay off the drugs, its never been double click to pick up eq lol

[iwasperdition]

its been double click to get eq or fuel since bonus.com

i still use it

[SW]

nvm