Topic

dear dev team: comments on my first play experience

First of all, I'd like to mention that I've played up to level 7 in one sitting. I actually had a hard time getting into the game, but stuck with it since I knew Takahashi san was involved (I'm a fan of his games). I've enjoyed the game thus far except for some frustrations, mainly ramping up. Perhaps many of these points were covered early on, but hey - I believe any feedback is good feedback in the gaming industry so here it goes!

Overall I enjoyed the world of Glitch, especially the swampy areas that looked like they designed by Meomi. The music is also fitting/quirky and reminded me of Katamari or Earthbound at times. I find platformers on PC difficult at times when the player controls directions using the left hand (if you think console, the D pad is normally on the right with the left hand controlling jump - I had the same problems with the original Cave Story for certain jumps.) Thankfully there aren't enough tricky jumps in this game but it makes me wonder if younger kids have a hard time with that.

The following are issues I found in the game that can possibly be resolved via a better tutorial area:

the world is too big:
I wasn't used to looking at the map and was often lost. One of the early quests for me was to find salt but I couldn't find out how to obtain it. Stumped, I ended up having to looking up info on a Glitch Wiki only to find that I had wandered very far away from any spice trees. I didn't really enjoy having to trek through screens and screens just to find the groves. I'd like to suggest the dev team consider a larger gated tutorial area that requires players to play within that field for a while, until they get used to the basics (AKA they can wander throughout a few screens but cannot proceed until they fufill a series of tasks). Players can be limited in their interactions within the area and must learn certain skills before proceeding into the world.

too many skills without a good explanation of how it impacts gameplay:
The skill system feels pretty hardcore for a game that comes off as targeted towards younger audiences. (target age feels low, mainly due to the fact that there is no combat and the interactions in the game are "safe". The art style also contributes to a younger feel - not that it's a bad thing!) A lot of times I felt confused, since I would be choosing to upgrade a skill I really didn't understand (like alchemy or penpersonship) and wasn't really sure if I was making the best decisions. Most games solve this problem by having players choose jobs/classes so that they have an understanding that all skills that they are likely to learn are beneficial to the style of gameplay that is appealing to them. If skills were automatically unlocked based on player habits the game would have been much simpler as well. (ex. if I mine all the time my mining skills can rise and would auto unlock related skills to it.) I understand that it's too late to change the system but at least it be nice to at least have better skill explanations up front and how it overall will impact my experience.

item overload:
Most games scale the number of items accessible to the player based on how much they have progressed through the game. Due to the open nature of the game, Glitch is a bit overwhelming for newcomers with the sheer amount of accessible items. A lot of times I found my bags full and had to let go of items I wasn't sure if I was supposed to keep, only to find out later that I had to backtrack 15 minutes to certain areas to farm those items in order to fufill a quest. It would be nice if the player is able to upgrade to a bigger bag earlier in the game or have limited access to items early on.

OK, this is likely not just me but I feel disturbed when I have to rub lotion onto butterflies for them to produce milk. On the site items info page it even says "Remember: butterflies chafe easily, but they still like it pretty hard." Nibbling on the pigs is pretty creepy as well, and I'm Japanese - I should be used to weird stuff like this. LOL

Keep up the good work! It seems like you guys are having fun and it's nice to see that you guys are always asking for player feedback (that's why I posted). Oh, and also I'd like to recommend implementation of micro-transactions. ;)

Posted 15 months ago by naska Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • I enjoyed reading what you though of the game, Naska. I've only been playing for about 3 weeks now and my sister is very slowly getting into the game now.

    It's interesting to read/hear what other people think of the game/experience.

    Best of luck to you here.

    -C.J.
    Posted 15 months ago by Carnivale Justice Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hi Naska! I'm sure you are waiting for an answer from the dev team but in the meantime, just to say welcome to the game. I read what you had to say with interest. I think the comments you made about having wandered far from lands where there is no spice are very fair. When I joined the game as a tester about 6 months ago the world was much smaller, so we couldn't get so far away. If you need a certain item and it is just too far to go to get it, you can check at the auctions page to see if someone is selling it.

    Try to get your papers (go to Bureacratic Hall on Gregarious Grange for card carrying qualification and then your papers) and then you will be able to use the subway, which might help a bit.

    You can buy bags and bigger bags at the Hardware Vendor and these sit in a slot and either add 10 or 16 extra slots. They can be a little pricey to buy but this is how to extend inventory space.

    The game is very definitely not aimed at younger audiences...at least that is my interpretation of it. Maybe someone with authority will have something more to say on that! There are very hard jumps (at least for me!) in the Chakra Phool area. There are some adult-type jokes and innuendos in the game as well, I believe quite intentionally.

    If you are stuck with things other players should help you if you ask, I am certainly always happy to answer questions as are most of my friends and most people on here. I think it is part of the experience to be rather disorientated at first and exploring a rather strange world...once you know where everything is you will look back on the first confused weeks with nostalgia!
    Posted 15 months ago by Violet Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I also enjoyed your Feedback.  I too love the Art and Music.  Some talented people did very well in those departments.  I did not think much of the Tutorial when I started (it was a little different last March) but it was the Art that kept me playing especially when I discovered IX!

    The number of items you can get and the lack of Inventory room is confusing.  I just started anew after the Reset so I have an advantage.  This time I know what I need to keep and what I can sell.  A bit of advice to new players:  Don't just toss something!  Go to a Vendor and try to Sell it first.  Vendors will buy most things.  That will get rid of the item and give you some currants.

    I have also trekked far to get items that i either had earlier or saw some place.  It can be tiresome but it can also be an adventure.  You never know who you will meet or what you might find.  Some of my best adventures have happened while on my way to get that wood I passed an hour before.

    The Skills Tree is helpful in deciding what to learn.  If you are uncertain, try to pick something you might enjoy and learn the associated Skills.  Mouse over a Skill to see the description.  The description tells you the requirements so you will know what to learn first.  You can also see how the Skills relate by looking at the Tree.

    It is a large World and it is growing.  I see no Street Projects at the moment but soon they will begin again.  Most people do not yet have the Skills to participate.  You can see on the World Map some areas which will be opened at some point.  When the projects start up you will be able to see the new streets on the map.  Learn the Teleportation Skills so you can move faster.

    Welcome to the Game naska and and all of our many New players!  May you enjoy "Glitch" and continue to play!  If you decide not to continue, that's cool too and I wish you enjoyment whereever you play!
    Posted 15 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Naska~

    Welcome to Glitch!

    This is a long-debated subject but, NO this game is NOT intended for a younger audience. It is an game for adults and teens (with consenting adults permission). Also yes, you will find  innuendo and lots of quirks. These are intentional ;-)

    I hope that you will keep giving Glitch a chance, really things get much easier as you go up in level. Mine, gather, buy a house, get some bags, learn to teleport. All of these things will "scale down" the world to a much more manageable level for your little Glitchy self.

    Best of luck!
    Posted 15 months ago by Cristy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • For an avid gamer  the world can never be too big...I welcome every new addition to the map.
    It takes a long time to get used to Glitch... I would urge anyone trying it to give it a week at least.
    First impressions are often so wrong. Do not leap to judgment.
    Posted 15 months ago by napabeth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • welcome :D, about the whole target to younger players thing, its not really the case, its targeted for teens and up, but more adult orintated in some parts (no actual gameplay, just words that are adult related)

    anyways WELCOME
    Posted 15 months ago by Marcm Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Welcome to the game, naska!

    I find platformers on PC difficult at times when the player controls directions using the left hand (if you think console, the D pad is normally on the right with the left hand controlling jump

    You probably already know this, but you can control direction with the arrow keys as well as the WASD keys.
    Posted 15 months ago by Nyx Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Naska - welcome to Glitch and the world of Ur! Excellent review of your experience thus far, much of which I agree with. Best wishes.
    Posted 15 months ago by MeherMan Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The TOS, for Age is !4-17 must have parental permission, its really is aimed at Adults, if your under 14 you cannot legally play Glitch, hope that helps, and Wecome to the game.
    Posted 15 months ago by ~Annie~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree that there might be an issue with the number of items versus inventory space. After the reset, I had to make some snap decisions about what to keep and what to sell/drop before I had enough money to buy a bag. Those decisions were a lot easier because I had already played the game.
    Posted 15 months ago by Becky Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'll bet the world seems too big, but it's grown slowly over time during beta testing. We may just not noticed it now.

    Perhaps new players shouldn't be able to see past the Groodle areas until a certain level or skill. Could be a map reading skill that opens the rest of the world to the new player? That way the new player isn't overwhelmed with so many riches. :)

    And yes, adulty game.
    Posted 15 months ago by Tibbi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Let me echo what everyone else said: Welcome!

    I started playing just a couple of weeks ago and felt really overwhelmed. I jumped here from WoW and found Glitch to be a very very different experience in terms of navigation and the skill trees. Once I got a house (one of the cheapest ones!) my items issues ended because I could dump everything at home (just like in rl :P ) and sort it out later. That helped a lot. I also use the subway system, which I think is far more useful than most folks realize. :)

    Anyway, enjoy the process and add me to your list of folks to call if you need help. :)
    Posted 15 months ago by Grizelda Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I also feel that at the very least, players should be warned before leaving the groddle area before they complete a core set of quests so they don't end up wandering too far away from where they are trying to go.
    Posted 15 months ago by geoffreak Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hi Naska! Welcome to glitch! I know just how you feel----I felt the same way when I first started playing a few months ago.....dazzled and frazzled and always hungry! I couldn't climb and couldn't jump on rocks because my eye/hand coordination sucked. Managing stuff was almost as difficult.  In other words, I fell in love with glitch! The wiki page helped me (http://www.glitch-stategy.com) as well as the groups I joined and the friends I made. It starts coming together eventually. Experiment, wander, interact and enjoy the journey. It only gets better! Oh, and as others have pointed out, glitch is definitely not targeted toward a younger audience (thank goodness).
    Posted 15 months ago by GreyGoose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Good comments, Naska. But, how can any game be too big? You don't have to go every where. Stick to one area until you feel comfortable. Use the map and GPS system. I have been playing (in beta) for months and still get lost, that's part of the fun! Hope to see you in the game!
    Posted 15 months ago by Fstra Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Meomi did design Shimla Mirch!
    Posted 15 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks naska! We are thinking a lot about these issues. Placing players introduction to the game when everything is so open-ended is a challenge. But, we are up to it!
    Posted 15 months ago by stoot barfield Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Great post Naska.  Getting started really can be a challenge.  I was fortunate that I came to Glitch with a large group/friend base so we were able to help each other.  The best part of this game is the community and the willingness of others to help those who are new so don't be afraid to ask if you need help.  As you progress through the game and learn new skills it gets easier. Teleportation is especially helpful if you find the world overwhelmingly large, and bigger bags for carrying all your stuff are a necessity.  I hope you enjoy the game and find your place in this unique world. 
    Posted 15 months ago by Lurell Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I actually like the fact that you are not pegged into some kind of "class" (farmer, herder, engineer) in this game.  The open-ended ability to do anything is one of the best aspects of this game.  I do think that the order of some of the skills in the mining and alchemy area is backwards, opening up skills to mix compounds when you can't even grind your own elements and such.  There are some skills that don't seem to have much use at all right now (can you do anything with crystals besides sell or donate them?).  Since I was a Beta Tester, I'm hoping and trusting that the world is still being imagined by those Giants, and they'll have a place later.

    I've said it until the Dev's are probably sick of me, but I HATE the platforming aspects.  I don't think it's the young, but us older fogeys with bad reaction times that have the trouble with it.  Chakra Phool is a worse Hell than the one where you stomp grapes.

    I think the problem you mention with spices and such is not as much a matter of the world being too big, as resource distribution for some of the more rare resources needing a bit of tweaking.  I kind of liked the fact when I started that I didn't know how many kinds of trees there were, and where to find them.  It felt like exploring was really exploring.  And if you need help, folks on Global Chat will almost always be willing to tell you where to find resource areas.  The subway makes the world much smaller, and it was my first attempt to use it that gave me the quest to start working towards getting a house.
    Posted 15 months ago by KhaKhonsu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I suggested a MUCH LONGER gated tutorial to the Devs months ago. They'll learn soon enough when they realize that only the most dedicated players are going to stick around after launch.

    EVE Online went through the same thing... they revamped the New Player Experience several times. Now when you start playing, your entire first week is doing Tutorial Quests and what-not. It's actually kind of fun, you get some good gear. :)
    Posted 15 months ago by Bashere Subscriber! | Permalink
  • One other suggestion...

    1. Based on your interactions with the game world, the skills page should RECOMMEND which skills you should learn next. That way if you enjoy mining, it says "We Recommend you train Mining II next" - or have it highlighted.

    2. The skills need to be more specific. How much quicker does Animal Kinship IV make me nibble on pigs. 2 seconds? 3 seconds? I want exact details not vague answers.
    Posted 15 months ago by Bashere Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I actually like the Platforming aspects. I think there needs to be more quests and challenges like that.
    Posted 15 months ago by Bashere Subscriber! | Permalink