Player contribution to new Smart Tips mechanism

[eleaza]

Author(s) :
Eleaza

Version :
All versions

Category(optional) :


Associated Firm(s) :
General Game Concept

Triggered Action(s) :
Entering a retail store screen; Build a retail purchase-sales pair with the + button in the store's top product list new slot; Entering a factory screen; Entering a Warehouse screen; Entering a farm screen; Entering a nature resource firms; Any action that involves creating a unit that has utilization bar;

Smart Tips :
Each unit, each firm, each corporation, or the entire city can be and sometimes have be treated as economic entities of their own right

Side Notes :
I'm not sure if this tip is too generic, but this is the best I can come up with in just few words in one sentence. Maybe I'll refine it later, and add more related smart tips regarding utilization status, as well as supply/demand bar. See the post in this link http://www.capitalismlab.com/forum/view ... 715#p17715

[David]

I never realize there's a load game screen, it's always super fast for me, like only seconds. I do like the trending upward line animation though. I wonder how many tips can be shown in such limited space and time. And I suppose the game interface should really be inside the first tutorials, since describing them is no where near as effective as showing them and highlighting them in their actual position.

The tutorials are already quite lengthy and we had to refrain from adding too much content into them for the fear that some players may find the tutorials too long and give up.

William first come up with the idea of integrating smart tip into CapLab, I only put out the format (seems over complicated maybe, but most fields are optionals), I suppose they are kinda labour intensive, and honestly they are good final touch, but not necessarily good tutorial or teaching interface. And games with such system would have game options to turn them off all at once, or check boxes associated with certain game mechanics or each tip screen to manually turn each one off.

We still intend to implement them. But since they do take time to implement, the programmers will work on them after the currently scheduled tasks are finished.

Some of them perhaps could be modified a bit to allow for easier implementation. I will bring up the discussions about them in separate posts.

A lot of time, the actions and spacial relationship makes memorizing the UI or mechanics easier (at least they are for me), and put them into words might be confusing than helping in some cases. However, for basic business tips not UI related, they can be converted into loading screen tips I suppose (like, "You can press 'R' to Product Details screen, and discover more useful information and functions", or " You can press 'D' to Corporate Details, and survey your competitors before taking thoughtful business decisions", etc. But the UI related tips might still escape some players, like the Apply All price button to change price all at once. I painfully saw so many players just flip through all the stores for hours just to set all the price firm by firm.)

That's true. It'd be helpful too if you could come up with such tips and indicate that they are to be displayed on the new game setup screen/loading screen, like this one: "You can press 'R' to Product Details screen, and discover more useful information and functions", or " You can press 'D' to Corporate Details, and survey your competitors before taking thoughtful business decisions"

[eleaza]

The tutorials are already quite lengthy and we had to refrain from adding too much content into them for the fear that some players may find the tutorials too long and give up.

Maybe we should have some kind of advance tutorial campaigns, and each campaign has several missions. The UI tutorials for more advanced controls could be introduced later in higher level "campaigns". There really are quite a bit UI teachings need to be shown if someone has never played CapII or business simulation games before.

We still intend to implement them. But since they do take time to implement, the programmers will work on them after the currently scheduled tasks are finished.

Some of them perhaps could be modified a bit to allow for easier implementation. I will bring up the discussions about them in separate posts.

OK, and we really need more organized "contents" to put in them, depending on the tip format eventually would be. I don't think me alone can come up with all the possible tips on my own.

That's true. It'd be helpful too if you could come up with such tips and indicate that they are to be displayed on the new game setup screen/loading screen, like this one: "You can press 'R' to Product Details screen, and discover more useful information and functions", or " You can press 'D' to Corporate Details, and survey your competitors before taking thoughtful business decisions"

I think most hotkey related tips are more or less suitable, since they will be short, and really make things much easier (and healthier for my wrist, without all the mouse clicking). Some of them is already in current tutorials I believe, like the speed control hotkeys. But some hotkeys are quit advanced combo not necessarily "needed" if you don't go crazy on hotkeys.

One of the most useful one I find is "You can press 'Q' to quickly jump back to the previous firm selected, and flip right back". This is very useful especially when you accidently clicked another building. Or use it like a tv remote control "return to previous channel" key.

BTW, I find a "bug" in one of the rarely used hotkey when looking through all the hotkeys. The hotkey 'n' in finding clients in an output unit, will bring up the News windows at the same time, since they are both hotkey 'n'.

[Diche_Bach]

Good thread Eleaza!

I'll see about digesting the info in your previous posts, and try to help out by offering some content.

Still haven't managed to play any scenario up through $1b net worth yet though, so probably should play lots more.

[eleaza]

Here is the official "hotkey" webpage
http://www.capitalismlab.com/shortcut-keys.html

But the "next layer" shortcut-keys aren't listed, like those can be used after entering a firm window. (like k for link, w for go to the next target, a for adding new "linked" pair in retail store, raw material firm, etc)

I wonder how many of them are useful and truly easy to use. And we probably need an update for all the hotkeys.