Game future inquiries:

[Medz]

Just some general questions regarding the future of the game; maybe food for thought if it was not already thought of or suggested:

Achievements: Simple things that can be added to give newer and some older players incentive if joining on steam to go for: things like clear a map on novice server, clear a 1 star map, get a better time on a map you completed, etc; Nothing too extensive like completing a brutal server.

DDNet accounts? I've seen it often enough to wonder; new player joins game, chooses name, existing points were accrued on the name in question. new player starts playing in a novice / other map, and gets flack for having X hundred points and doesn't even understand what the deal is.. perhaps a free signup with linking account to name could be a option to prevent misuse / misunderstandings?

Perhaps during the time of signing up it could be queried if you want to bring over the existing points, or use of IP verification to bring over points of the name if everything matches up.

I know not everyone is a achievement hunter, some are only here to play; and some do it for the competitive part, but there's no harm in asking if Devs would think about it. it's been a fun ~300 hours and plans to do many more.

[deen]

The problem with accounts is well known, discussion here: https://github.com/ddnet/ddnet/issues/3411

About accidentally choosing a name with many points: The client now warns about that.

Achievements were also considered once, but should be tied to accounts.

IP verification does not work since in many countries you get a totally different IP address every day.

Points and ranks are the main kinds of achievements we currently have. https://ddnet.tw/ranks/ is popular for points, https://ddnet.tw/status/ shows the recent top ranks at the top.

[Medz]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad to see it's in the realms of possibility, and keep up the good work.

Heres to another 300+ hours~

[khermerker]

what game needs is a really new player thing, I said it before but i will pull it here again:
1. game is not new friendly, with each time pass the problem gets worst, dunno how many players are really kept but i doubt that is many, first stars in novice is no good indicators of maps, and is many of them, already post 3 in well discord but so many of them are not good enough what this game really needs are novice short maps that let you learn, is no good that if you want learn for example hammer fly is in 1 perma map after 30 mins of a run.
2. There is so many of advanced skills that need a teacher, really i was good that in my time of start playing the old school multimap was a thing and people teach me a lot of moves, also that some players recommend maps solo for learn for example practice in laser solo map was good, but if were not for that I probable will not play this much...
3. A tuturial map run with dummy, still after all that time I had teach basic dummy things, like dummy copy and dummy hammer fly, in my time was off by default... off... well teach players that and be clear that perma maps are the start is good still.. well perma is easy true but not good for learn a lot of them requieres advanced things and are too large for get what you want learn.
4. A more easy trial run, ok is good that have the trial run, but make a team, then put trial and put the comman in soft lock is a problem, for new people again, old players or not new will do all over again but new might need learn 1 ability make 30 mins of a run for try again the part you fail cause you dont have the basic knowledge is no good.
One thing i really like games could have is probability a download of other player run, that is for example I want do absurd 1... one of the worst maps ever made for novice... well novice 5 is probably fine but even then i had see a lot of things that is worst that a lot of novice 5 that i had done.. really should be on intermediate 1 star..... but well to the point this could get way better if i could see how other player do it, a lot of times I had learn seeing other players do it and then do it myself... this bring this last topic that is not really game developer part but commmunity part.
5. If you are a good player don't do what other can't do unless they ask you for help or you offer, you get better when you do it, not when others do it for you. If you are teaching bring dummy for rescue and let the new player try do it, not just do it.

[Medz]

Originally posted by khermerker:

what game needs is a really new player thing, I said it before but i will pull it here again.

I've spoken in-game to a couple of the moderators in-game in passing about some of the things i've been thinking about, including; and they usually agree, that there should be a once over on the ratings of some of the maps, to make it easier for those to get into it and continue playing.

I agree there should be a general "Learning map" or zone, server, whatever you want to call it that allows you to spawn in; and pick a skill you want to work on, solo, dummy, or with a friend, possibly drop into a teleport block to said area where it can be practiced, and go from there on doing the thing you want to do; but there's a lot of variance even in that suggestion; sideways hammer flying? Hook hammer? ball and chaining? Deep flying? for the most part this idea could work, and it could just be listed as a 0/5 "Training" zone under novice, else we just do what we've done in the past; and find a good map to practice a skill on; like sunny side up; beginning can be good for a lot of minor skill practice.

Maps i believe are all, for the most part. community based from what i've seen, so its down to creators to make short maps, and not have it all be like a kobra, etc map that's 30 mins to 3 hours long. but over time there are a lot coming to light that are good short quick runs, just have to be patient and wait for them to come to light; or check on "internet" tab for non official maps to use in mean time.

This is my first real Side scroller / 2d platformer, and i started in January of this year, about 330 hours later and near 330 points in completions, there are some things that just i cannot fathom, but over time the skills required do develop. no "Git Gud" vibes here, but more like practice makes perfect, and if something fails enough times, try to do something new on that map / section; it might be more comfortable to do for you.

[khermerker]

i was thinking what to write so i decided keep it simple hope is understable

Originally posted by Medz:

Originally posted by khermerker:

what game needs is a really new player thing, I said it before but i will pull it here again.

sideways hammer flying? Hook hammer? ball and chaining? Deep flying? for the most part this idea could work, and it could just be listed as a 0/5 "Training" zone under novice, else we just do what we've done in the past; and find a good map to practice a skill on; like sunny side up; beginning can be good for a lot of minor skill practice.

hammer flying is already hard for news, the thing is all new i have help do the same mistake, they spam hammer/hook, in hammer is not so bad you can still go up but not much, but hook make it impossible go up, want to teach a new in hammer fly sections make them go up. So if hammer fly is a hard, side fly is alredy a pain, I will be honest still not pass my first moderate map (make morons mistakes but im near to finish at least 2 of them), and side hammer is still something i can't do... yup there is this novice map that ask for a long side hammer fly that i have no chance to do .. but be more near to do a moderate map is part of my post.
Basicly you can think in moves as stars, the first is just move or hook, not at same time, the secon star is move and hook at same time (i dont mean hook then move but move and hook ), the third star is easily precision without move, example hammer wall, then is precision with move example bazooka 2 shoot, last is where all is there, move precision and hook, yup the side fly hammer is last tier always.. well except that, last tier where things start get moderate, not only you need precision, move, hook but your dummy moves too, notice that side fly hammer usually the dummy not stay and you have to rehook, in dummy maps that finally finish 1 of them there is this thing of you have to move and hook a dummy that must not toke floor, that is a little more harder that side hammer so yup... the complexity is cause the thing you need to hook move.

Originally posted by Medz:

Originally posted by khermerker:

Maps i believe are all, for the most part. community based from what i've seen, so its down to creators to make short maps, and not have it all be like a kobra, etc map that's 30 mins to 3 hours long. but over time there are a lot coming to light that are good short quick runs, just have to be patient and wait for them to come to light; or check on "internet" tab for non official maps to use in mean time.

well this was not a critique about maps, yesterday did kobra 4 finally solo with dummy 1 hour and something... was fun but for new people we need short maps in low stars, if is long need a 3 stars rating min. Think like this if a pro need 2 mins in a novice then a new could require 10 times that so if you put a map that a pro need 20 mins then 200 mins for a new player is over 2 hours.

Originally posted by Medz:

Originally posted by khermerker:

This is my first real Side scroller / 2d platformer, and i started in January of this year, about 330 hours later and near 330 points in completions, there are some things that just i cannot fathom, but over time the skills required do develop. no "Git Gud" vibes here, but more like practice makes perfect, and if something fails enough times, try to do something new on that map / section; it might be more comfortable to do for you.

well i have more points than you and seems more time too. Actually almost finish all novice missing less of 40 maps and had done some oldschool, solo and 1 dummy. so nope sadly im out of new player, but here i put something that i saw playing with new people. That was my first question, how many new players stay in game? i really doubt that this game will pass for anyone that is not a hardcore gamer... i tried a friend that play other games, even play better somegames that me.. still after 1 map run.. she said, nope this seems to try hard and stop.... and yup i selected a easy map but seems i make a mistake and was not easy enough....

[Medz]

Originally posted by khermerker:

i was thinking what to write so i decided keep it simple hope is understandable

I agree; it would be a good idea to break things up, but maps are usually a combination of skills learned over time; hence the idea for a training grounds map that lets you just practice some skills, or a set of maps based around it. The only other alternative we might have is referencing a YouTube video or a wiki based on it; if all else fails. Communication with other players sometimes is a impossibility due to time constraints, or language differences, but i have seen genuine new players wanting to learn and just getting frustrated by not understanding how to do something on maps, from 1 stars to 4 stars and above in novice.

I actually just rand through kobra 4 recently as well with a buddy; first run was 2 hours, where we did main's paired, and dummys paired for safety. 2 hours 15~ mins to complete, then re-ran it for giggles without the dummy safety and got 1 hour 1 minute time; but it was a long time coming; starting from kobra 1 and working around each from there. lots of practice before that run to get it decent time.
sorry if it came off as a critique of the maps, it was more like i was meaning to explain that i understand and agree~

Originally posted by khermerker:

well i have more points than you and seems more time too. Actually almost finish all novice missing less of 40 maps and had done some old-school, solo and 1 dummy. so nope sadly im out of new player, but here i put something that i saw playing with new people. That was my first question, how many new players stay in game? i really doubt that this game will pass for anyone that is not a hardcore gamer... i tried a friend that play other games, even play better some games that me.. still after 1 map run.. she said, nope this seems to try hard and stop.... and yup i selected a easy map but seems i make a mistake and was not easy enough....

since we started this topic; im at about 350 hours; 372 points now, 83/145 novice, 2 moderate, 1 dummy, 11 ddmax, 3 old-school. and 12 solo maps completed, i tried mixing in some of the other server types to experiment and learn what is required per-server, and see where they lie in the sand for what skills are needed and emphasized; i feel that it was a good idea; it allowed me to learn a lot of major movement skills, as well as supporting skills like carrying someone vertically out of freezes; to safety, or just lifting long enough to help them recover. but i do feel that there's a definitive difference between something like a 1 star dummy map and even the 5 star novice maps.. hard to bridge the gaps when you have to do it on the fly. ( mind you we do have /practice and /rescue, but learning through repetition is good to have as well. ) i've been personally contemplating making my own map for testing / practice purposes.. just have to learn the editor.

I have seen my fair share of people who just "nope" out of DDRace; but i have also watched people stick through it and even slowly; work at it over time. im sure they have higher chances of staying if they have company to do it with; friends and the likes.. but if they're solo, or just peeking into DDRace to see what it's all about, there's more a chance that the frustrations can get to them and jump ship.

[Asger_]

i think it would be best to add a (skipable) tutorial of the basics at the beginning. at least telling them what keys do wut. it would be much better for newer players. and maybe, short, more advanced tutorials for certain topics, like how to do the Jetpack Gun and such.