forums.rs

Forums

Tutorial Island Feedback

Quick find code: 74-75-381-66261099

of 2
Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Posts: 559 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Introduction



Hi everyone,

In preparation for the upcoming Fresh Start Worlds update, I wanted to offer a few suggestions to help to make Tutorial Island as seamless as possible. The basis for these suggestions comes from when I last played the tutorial in the summer of 2021, so my apologies if some of the information I present is no longer accurate.

I intend to make a fresh account to run through the tutorial again, but I wanted to get this out there as soon as possible so that hopefully there is still a chance for improvements to be made before September 26th.

Below are some potential issues I noted, in chronological order of when the relevant gameplay begins. Please note that I’m writing these from memory until I can look at my notes again properly. Spirit of Forinthry ~ Runecrafting: Magic Armour ~ F2P Extensions ~ Dragon Slayer improvements ~ New Player Experience

27-Aug-2022 07:35:32

Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Posts: 559 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Toolbelt



Observations : Tools obtained during the tutorial (hatchet, tinderbox, small fishing net, etc.) are added to the Toolbelt automatically, bypassing the player’s inventory.

When gameplay occurs : Beginning with the Survival Expert and ending with the Mining Instructor .

Suggestions : Tools should instead be placed in the player’s backpack and manually added to the Toolbelt. This would make the respective gameplay more active and would more effectively teach players how to use the Toolbelt. Spirit of Forinthry ~ Runecrafting: Magic Armour ~ F2P Extensions ~ Dragon Slayer improvements ~ New Player Experience

27-Aug-2022 07:36:08 - Last edited on 28-Aug-2022 06:46:13 by Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Posts: 559 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Audio



Observations : Scape Cave (music track) no longer unlocks or plays in the dungeon beneath Tutorial Island as it did originally.

When gameplay occurs : Beginning after the Quest guide and ending after the Combat Instructor .

Suggestions : Make Scape Cave once again unlock and play in the dungeon. The change in the mood and atmosphere added necessary variation that helped break the monotony of the tutorial.


Comments :

Without the change of music, the tutorial is not as memorable as it could be. There is not enough contrast between the underground section and the gameplay that takes place on the surface. The dungeon sequence was presumably meant to differ in tone from the rest of the tutorial, and Newbie Melody doesn’t feel right for the gameplay that unfolds beneath the island.

Scape Cave was much better at setting the scene for the subterranean segment of the tutorial, wherein the player undertakes the grim task of forging their first weapon to slay an overgrown vermin. This piece of music served as a fitting accompaniment to the somber nature of the task at hand, reflecting the gloom of the dimly lit cavern in wary anticipation of the danger to come.

I would also suggest allowing players to unlock music tracks where possible, rather than having them unlocked automatically. Seeing a message appear in the chatbox and feeling that sense of wonder is one of my earliest memories from this game. Although I can only speak for myself, I have found few words as enchanting as those that follow:


You have unlocked a new music track: Scape Cave.
Spirit of Forinthry ~ Runecrafting: Magic Armour ~ F2P Extensions ~ Dragon Slayer improvements ~ New Player Experience

27-Aug-2022 07:36:25 - Last edited on 28-Aug-2022 07:37:13 by Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Posts: 559 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Dialogue



Observations : Dialogue for certain NPCs on Tutorial Island seems unnatural and to be missing context (possibly due to having contained obsolete information that has since been removed). Notable NPCs who exhibit this issue include the Financial advisor and Brother Brace .

When gameplay occurs : Beginning with the Master chef or the Quest guide (uncertain; needs to be verified) and ending with Brother Brace .

Suggestions : Make sure that each NPC’s dialogue is both believable and relevant. Reintroduce greetings and pleasantries that have been removed, and write new dialogue for any NPCs who no longer provide up-to-date advice. Spirit of Forinthry ~ Runecrafting: Magic Armour ~ F2P Extensions ~ Dragon Slayer improvements ~ New Player Experience

27-Aug-2022 07:36:43 - Last edited on 31-Aug-2022 02:53:11 by Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Posts: 559 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Closing Thoughts



My last and most important suggestion is to
have all Fresh Start Worlds players begin on Tutorial Island, irrespective of whether they’re on PC or mobile.
As returning players are among the target audience of Fresh Start Worlds, many participants might find it off-putting to begin on Davendale instead of the more familiar Tutorial Island. Furthermore, it would probably be wise to give all players the same tutorial (i.e. Tutorial Island), as this would help to ensure that everyone starts on equal footing (words borrowed from TawnyOwl).

I realize that the contents of this thread as written have some serious limitations. I hope that the information it provides will nonetheless be useful for the development of future content, be it Fresh Start Worlds or what may come after.

~ ~ ~

Thanks for reading. You may now post. Spirit of Forinthry ~ Runecrafting: Magic Armour ~ F2P Extensions ~ Dragon Slayer improvements ~ New Player Experience

27-Aug-2022 07:36:55 - Last edited on 07-Sep-2022 04:15:40 by Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Seasons Past

Posts: 559 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Hi everyone,

As I did not end up making a new account to playtest the tutorial before Fresh Start Worlds launched, I’m going to give an update on where I am with this.

It seems like a lot of players have been concerned over the possibility of adverse effects relating to the economy and/or personal wealth. If I’m honest, I don’t really share these concerns. My reasoning is that there is already so much wealth in the game that I don’t really see how any influx of resources from FSW could remain significant for the overall economy in the long term.

What concerns me is that there seems to be a contradiction between the stated goals of the update (i.e. increasing the number of regular players in the game) and what many of the targeted players (i.e. new and returning players) are likely to prefer in a game.

The first thing I’d like to discuss is the competition aspect. I think something might have gotten lost or missed somehow, because I don’t think competitive races with hiscores and juicy prizes and glittery screenshots for bragging rights really mean anything to the kinds of players who enjoyed this game - and left it - a long time ago.

I’ve come to understand that gimmicks such as Fresh Start Worlds, Yak Track, Treasure Hunter, and many others that have been tried over the years aren’t what will get players to come back and stay here. At the very least, not for the right reasons.

With the recent criticism of the combat system I’ve read, it seems to me that RuneScape’s long-standing issue of retaining new players cannot be fixed with marketing. The issue is not the target audience. The issue is the quality of the game.

Until very basic, fundamental problems are seriously addressed, I do not have high expectations for any update aiming to lure more players. Spirit of Forinthry ~ Runecrafting: Magic Armour ~ F2P Extensions ~ Dragon Slayer improvements ~ New Player Experience

27-Aug-2022 07:38:34 - Last edited on 01-Oct-2022 23:59:33 by Seasons Past

GhostlyBard

GhostlyBard

Posts: 4,332 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
As daft as Davendale is (honestly where’s TawnyOwldale), it’s actually a more streamlined experience, and suits the purpose of a basic tutorial quite well.

That said if players are truly meant to begin fresh start worlds on an equal footing, then like you mentioned they should all share the same tutorial. If it’s to be tutorial island then I’d hope the other improvements you listed get looked at as well. Check out Thieves guild layout redesign. Happy ‘scaping

03-Sep-2022 07:15:27

Quick find code: 74-75-381-66261099 Back to Top