Game Design

 

• Research into MMO Tutorials
• Creation of Quest Flow (See Above)
• Adjustments to existing Quest Structure
• Design and Creation of Teaching Elements - Pop Ups, Slideshows etc.
• Creation of Narrative
• Creation of Environments
• Creation of Asset List
• Creation of Vioce Lines
• Implementation and QA

Quest Design

• The quests evolve with the player
• Quests in the start are rather short, very step-by-step and do not offer much freedom
• Quests towards the end are faster, and very loose, the player can figure out how they want to solve the problem
• This is important to give the player direction but also introduce them to the concept of making their own decisions as they will enter the sandbox after the tutorial
• A lot has to explained to the player in text, how to use the marketplace, how to use refining stations etc. so it is important to follow up each of these more tedious moments with either action or reaction
  • Now go fight!
  • Look, the ship is repaired!

Narrative - Synopsis

• The player is on a ship headed from the Old World towards Albion. 
• The ship is attacked and crashes. 
• The player wakes up on a small island with a Lighthouse.
• A faint light leads the player up to the Lighthouse where the player meets other survivors
• With the help of the small group the player manages to craft a weapon and defeat the enemies - an enemy faction known as Heretics - outside of the Gate.
• They reunite with the rest of their crew who set up camp in a small bay
• As the whole crew is now back together, the player works on repairing the ship, bringing in resources and getting stronger in combat.
• After repairing the ship fully, the player learns that the sea passage to Albion is guarded by the Heretics in the Keep in the mountains.
• The player journeys to the keep, distracting them by attacking their stronghold and destroying their ammunition depot.
• The ship can now leave the cursed island and picks the player up at the mountain fort.
• The crew and the player set sail towards the shores of Albion.

Level Design - The Scenes 

The Character Creation Scene

The Introduction to the Tutorial starts right with the Character Creation.
The keen eyed can spot NPCs that will play a greater role in the upcoming adventure in the background.
The player is introduced while on his journey to Albion, right before the attack 

 The Lighthouse - The Introduction Area

• This is the only time a player in albion is without other players
• We funnel the player to the first quest giver
• Introduce the player to the quest structure
• Get the player to an elevated position to show them their goal and their problem
• Teach the player how to get to their goal overcoming their problem
• We created an Environment that looks natural but is contained enough so the player can not get lost

The Cove - The Quest Hub

• The Quest Hub is the connecting area of the tutorial
• The player will see other real players from this point onward
• It is home to all the elements the player will find in bigger cities
  • Crafting Stations
  • Refining Stations
  • Marketplace
• The player will be posed with an issue that requires the player to learn about the world and leave the hub to bring something back
• With each trip the player is introduced to a new part of the Hub
  • On the players first arrival, the player gets to buy a mount at the Marketplace
  • After the players first trip, the player refine resources at the refining stations
  • After the third trip the player gets to buy or craft their new weapons and armor
• The hub is designed to progress along the player
  • it starts out with a broken ship and several blocked exits
  • the exits are cleared after the player progresses
  • the player repairs the ship and the ship visually is fixed

The Forest - Gathering and Combat

• Each area is designed to be used twice
• The first time the player is entering the Forest, all the player has to do is to gather some wood and some hides. The player will do that close to the entrance as there is an abundance of resources
• The second time the player is sent into the Forest, the player will have to steal a map from a Mob Camp, learning to use skills and level up
• The Camps are positioned on the edges of the map

The Mountain - Gathering  and Finale

• Similar to the forest the player is sent here the first time to gather fiber and iron
• The second time, it's already the finale of the tutorial.
• To add a quite literal boom to the end of the tutorial, the players will have to defeat 10 enemies, and then light the ammunition depot on fire
• The depot will explode and the player will need to signal the crew and the ship by lighting a bonfire
• The ship will cruise in to save the day and the player
• As a special thanks, the captain offers the player to choose which harbour of Albion they should go to - This is where the player can pick the start area