Developer Chat: Volume 9

Directing the Experience
By - Kai "Helios" Steinmann

The continuous popularity of our game that has continued over the years is a colossal monument to the depth of our game experience. Our players have been loyal to the game over the years, beyond what the founding designers of UO could ever have hoped for. But, why? What makes a great game? Or, more specifically, what makes a great MMORPG? While I cannot speak for the masses, for me, Ultima Online has been my game of choice since its inception because no matter how long I played, there was always something new to do.

The original design team for Ultima Online achieved this by putting everything but the kitchen sink into the game. Ultima Online included everything from an intricate skills system all the way to a giant array of items in the world and everything in between. UO has one of the most addictive game play systems of any game out there.

But that can be a double-edged sword. While our veteran players have stayed loyal to the game for years, it has been difficult at times for new players to grasp the variety of different game play options. Veteran player retention was strong, but the new player turnover rate left a lot to be desired. We had to figure out at what point we were losing the new players? Considering the upcoming new player acquisition spike that was projected for the release of Lord Blackthorn's Revenge, it was clearer than ever that something needed to be done to increase new player retention.

In short, after reviewing our current in-game new player support mechanisms we decided that there was still room for improvement in several areas. We needed to expand the system in some topic areas and condense it in others, and we needed an alternative to the tutorial that would provide more entertainment value.

It became obvious that in order to improve the learning process we needed to simplify the choices facing one when starting the game. To give us a starting point, we tracked from within the game statistics on which characters were chosen most often as starting characters. Through that process we identified our three (3) starting character templates, the Mage, Warrior and Blacksmith. We set out to create a "Directed Experience" for these three character classes, that would teach new players the game in an in-theme style customized to the respective "class" they chose for their character.

The Directed Experience, was to be presented in the form of a quest (who doesn't love quests in RPGs?), that teach the new player the game, without making it feel like "learning". Let's face it, when most people sit down to play a game, they don't want to spend hours trying to figure out how to play, they just want to get into the action right away - and have some fun!
The first step was deciding, what aspects of game play these three classes shared, mostly to cut down on development time. Modular programming is, after all, the corner stone of good engineering. The main points that we identified were basic interface mechanics, such as walking, talking, combat, looting your slain enemies (always a popular topic), and information on how to get more help, in case you have more questions.

We took all of these elements and rolled them into a short quest, which consisted of hunting down a creature and looting it. A very simple, straightforward and effective approach. Plus, it offered the new player the added bonus of getting to kill something during their first five minutes in the game.

Wonderful. Now we could focus on the specifics of each character class, and how it relates to the game. However, not every player has the best intentions for their fellow role-players in mind while playing. This is true particularly with respect to young players. We needed to create a semi-sterile environment in which new players could explore the game, risk-free.

At the same time, UO is a multi-player game, so this learning area could not be completely off limits to veterans, since we do want to promote players interacting with other live players. In effect, what we tried to achieve was an area that allowed sufficient interaction with veteran players, while at the same time providing certain sanctuaries, if you will, that are crucial to learning the game - crucial to the Directed Experience.

This was our city of "Haven", as we called it. Certain sections (specifically areas pertaining to the tutorial quests) are accessible to young players only, while the rest of the island, and the city itself, are accessible to everyone. That being said…

After the player completes their basic game mechanics quest (or the "Horde Demon quest" as it's referred to here in the office), they emerge into Uzeraan's Mansion. This structure is one of the two specific areas that are only accessible to new players. Upon entering the mansion new players are immediately presented with a giant, imposing, strategically placed Demon, one of the new creatures featured in the LBR version of the game. Interaction with an exciting new monster never hurts at the beginning of a game. After coming upon the monster, the player is introduced to the main quest NPC, Uzeraan, who handles most of the player interaction during the remainder of the new player quests.

Uzeraan and his mansion function as a "touchstone" or point of reference for new players, should they become lost or confused about what to do next. There is nothing worse than getting stuck while on a quest with nowhere to turn for help. Everyone is looking for a sense of accomplishment along with some reward as the end result of going on a quest and we wanted to ensure this outcome for the new players. For this reason, we incorporated several elements into the quest mechanics (from a development standpoint) to help the player along, should they get stuck at any point.
One primary tool the player has available to them, is a simple context menu accessed by clicking on their character and choosing from one of several menu options offering a plethora of information about their quest history and their current objective. There is, of course, also an option to completely terminate the quest, should they decide they no longer wish to continue.

As for the actual content of the training quests, for each character template, we customized them specifically to the play style of the character type (as closely as is possible). In other words, the Mage quests involve "magical" things, while the Swordsman quest is focused around combat-style adventuring. The Blacksmith, of course, spends most of their time learning the craft and trade that is Blacksmithing.

Since the Mage and Swordsman characters are adventuring classes, their Directed Experiences can be similar, but still differ from one another sufficiently to feel integrated with the respective character template. For instance, both the Fighter and the Mage are sent on a classic prisoner-rescue mission.

For the Fighter, this entails little more than making his way to the prisoner, bashing in the heads of the evil creatures oppressing the poor defenseless prisoner and collecting the spoils of the hunt. Classic "hack-and slash" at its best.

For the Mage on the other hand, we require a little more finesse. The use of an "Unlock" spell to aid in opening the prison door was the perfect fit. Simple to use, and it allows the Mage to do what they do best; affecting the world through Spell Casting.

Applying this formula to all of the steps in the Directed Experience, and following the same guidelines for all character types provides a fun way to learn the game as seen through the eyes of your character 'class'. Now, all that's left to do is to structure the code involved in creating this Directed Experience to be modular and hence extremely extensible, and we have a simple and effective plug-and-play model that provides virtually endless fun while teaching a player the basics of the game for any respective character class.

Did all of this effort pay off? The proof is in the numbers. Our figures indicate that new player churn has decreased significantly since the installation of the Directed Experience. With time, the Directed Experience technology and methodology will grow and achieve even greater results through constant refinement and additions that have already been planned.

I look forward to the coming months, and to continuing to enhance this design and watching its effect on the level of excitement that new players feel upon entering the world of Ultima Online.

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