With my planned playtest date approaching, I turned to considerations of player Onboarding. This entailed both tonal onboarding, the setting of a tone to be evolved or maintained throughout the game that would draw a player into the fiction, and mechanical onboarding, teaching the player the mechanics necessary to progress through the game.
Tonally, the tools I have at my disposal encompass the entire project, from the moment the Main Menu fades in and the music begins, to the moment that the game ends. The visual design, sound design, dialogue, mechanics, enemies, and storylines will all contribute, but in terms of immediate tonal impact, the first few seconds as well as the opening sequence will be key to setting a tone.
I especially want to set a tone I can break, as the primary tone I am aiming for both with the prototype and the main project is one of a dark and sullen setting contrasted with stoic and bright characters. As the player voyages, trades, partakes, and navigates the world, they will meet characters that brighten the otherwise dark tone with their conversations and demeanours.
Mechanically it’s a different story. As I want to maintain a consistent tone, I want to avoid breaking the fiction as much as possible. This means avoiding direct tooltips and longwinded and tone deaf exposition. This is where the initial region, Mevar, in which you are locked until you exit the gate will come in handy.
The player will start in a dialogue with a character that is outfitting their ship. He will explain some basic functions of the ship such as movement, opening your inventory, and your vessel’s capabilities. Once he’s done, he’ll signal you to undock, beginning your journey. This sets up the basic controls, and also your ability to gain more information. On your voyage through the waterways of Mevar, your first “encounter” will be a man standing on the dock, who players will likely approach, and be prompeted to interact with.
It’s through a series of characters and locations in Mevar that you will learn the basic controls and objective of the prototype. The man on the dock will, through a short dialogue, indicate the path towards your destination, giving you guidance in reaching Shurrick. Further on you will encounter a lively bar (Sound already included courtesy of my drinking buddies and a Røde microphone)
Interacting with the window will trigger a short dialogue about booze, after which the pub owner will give you a couple drinks “for the road”. Interacting with the table will trigger a dialogue of a number of card players sitting at a table, who will notify you that if you take a left after the sea wall, you will find an old man who has been hoarding scrumpy, a delicious homemade apple cider, giving the player an idea of what path they may wish to take. Further along the path towards the gate is a manned Fuel Station.
Interacting with the fuel station will trigger a short that introduces the Reserve Fuel tank, and it’s use (A key mechanic of the game), and partially fills your reserve tank for your journey. This will help less experience players especially as fuel management is a big part of the game. Further on just before the gate, some players may spot a lone man sitting on a cliff in an alcove.
This man will be suspicious, and hint at the idea that it isn’t worth completing your journey’s mission as laid out to you by the others. He will be encountered again later on towards the end of your journey with a proposition. This will hopefully teach players that the world can surprise them, as well as incentivise them to experiment in future playthroughs with different approaches. Finally they will approach the exit gate of Mevar.
This is your final stop on your way out. I’m playing with the idea of Constructing the dialogue you recieve upon exit dynamically, for example if you interact with many characters on your way out he may send you on your way with some advice, if the opposite is true and you rushed out, he will comment on it and possibly offer some minor advice (and help with controls) instead.
The rest of the learning will happen through the player’s interactions on their journey, and I prefer not to handhold them as I have accounted for multiple types of failure states in the narrative through character’s reaction’s through dialogue.