Junior Member
This game has a very deceptively low bar of entry. For those of us that have taken the time to practice the moveset of any given hero, we know that the skill ceiling is very high. Those that do not tend to become quickly frustrated and are prone to abandoning the game regardless of whether they have the potential to "git gud" or not. It's a matter of first impressions. If within the first week, someone hasn't put in the time to practice fundamentals, they are likely to have a hard time, not have fun, and leave. This is a very real problem for longevity. We've seen it in all the similar games in this genre. It doesn't take terribly long for them to "die" from a player count standpoint. On the flipside, those that do practice experience the inevitable "aha" moment and are much more likely to get hooked on the addictive gameplay we get from this amazing game. I've personally experienced the former situation with many friends of my own already in the beta.
My suggestion is simply to add more to promote practicing fundamentals and potentially specific moves. So far, we've got the tutorial, advanced tutorial, and the little duel before multiplayer unlocks. I'd love to see two things added that I think will appeal to both beginners and maybe even veterans alike.
Advanced Settings for Bot Duels
Add options for specific behaviors from the bot. Things like "always guard break" or "aggressive attacks" are a start. But the more depth the better. Let people choose which class they want to fight and what moves they want that class to use against them so that they can specifically practice the timing of those moves and how to counter them.
Orders for Practicing
Like a continuous improvement program. Daily/Weekly orders to complete some training in a bot duel. Give them their own category so that people don't feel they are encroaching on the normal allotment of orders, but give them a decent currency reward for incentive to do them. An example of a daily reward might be "complete X guard break counters in a single bot duel". An example of a weekly order might be "complete X number of [insert class-specific move] in a single bot duel". The dailies would promote staying fresh on your fundamentals while the weeklies would provide a bit more challenge and promote learning classes you might not be familiar with which is always a good idea if only to better understand your potential opponents.
Thoughts?
Member
I agree, I think individual tutorials per class would help or even listing the combos out in writing vs the videos.
When I started the game I played 4 matches and was owned in each of them because I didnt take the time to practice or watch the "how to" videos.
So I took the time to practice and watch the videos to become a better player but it was frustrating for sure.
