Day 4 - Problem & Opportunity
On to day 4 of the grind, slowly understanding the game and looking to play some PvP games for the first time and a bit worried that my win rate and XP bonus will be compromised. So why am I feeling this way going into the PvP section...?
Yes yes yes, I know I could have played more Co-op vs. Bots and learned the game better and mastered the area, however the timeline for this challenge is 7 days. Now I'm not expecting to be a pro going into day 4 however I feel anxious with the prospect of playing other players. Most of my teammates even in training are a lot better than me and they're not playing PvP so surely I'm doomed? But what can be done to help this anxiety I'm facing (...apart from obviously learning the game in a suitable amount of time!)
Bring on Day 5!
Yes yes yes, I know I could have played more Co-op vs. Bots and learned the game better and mastered the area, however the timeline for this challenge is 7 days. Now I'm not expecting to be a pro going into day 4 however I feel anxious with the prospect of playing other players. Most of my teammates even in training are a lot better than me and they're not playing PvP so surely I'm doomed? But what can be done to help this anxiety I'm facing (...apart from obviously learning the game in a suitable amount of time!)
Usability Takeaways:
Let me explain my thoughts on the Co-op vs. Bots and training methods.
Training -
This is pretty awesome. Over the past few days it has helped me understand about what to buy, where to click and how to attack. Areas in my hud were highlighted when I was playing and I was able to 'roughly' work out what to click and when. Though extremely short, it was a quick guide to get stuck in. Awesome job Riot.
Co-op vs. Bots -
The concept to play in a team vs. bots is cool but playing by myself, I always had issues in winning or being confident in my ability to hold my lane. Occasionally I had to compensate for AFK's or people "botting", getting ready to sell a smurf account (an issue I might talk about later). So a lot of my help and support was from my friends in London and Kuwait. Experienced players who have played a lot and taught me the fundamentals of the game. Without them it would have been pretty hard. Yeah, there are guides to read online, however I am the kind of person that prefers to actually get stuck in and do something. Learn as you go and constantly improve. You could understand awesome theory and read all the articles but if you can't put it to good use then... Well it's wasted.
My concerns were around areas which my friends explained the AI or training mode didn't really highlight. Areas or suggestions what to do and why,
So before I go into the examples I wanted to say the problem / opportunity I saw from playing:-
So before I go into the examples I wanted to say the problem / opportunity I saw from playing:-
Playing games or Co-Op vs. bots I found no help from the computer, no assistance on what to do and when. Skill gap in League even in co-op vs. bots was apparent. Lots of Smurf accounts and people who are creating a second account to get better, people at level 3 which seemed to know everything about the game and carrying the game.
The opportunity I foresee is being able to have more of an interactive approach of gameplay, tool highlights and real-time help / assist to give you "ideas" or suggestions. You could have a pop up or an audio queue that may say what to do next.
Examples:
To introduce tool tips, audio or visual queues which could be turned off.
How to spend gold
"Hey, you've reached 1,000 gold - do you want to go back and buy something?"
How to improve XP or last hit damage
"Minions are approaching, stay in range for the best XP and try and get the last hit on them"
How to play defensively
"Watch out, stay behind your minions and don't attack champions whilst near a tower, the tower will lock on to you"
My suggestion is, play by play real-life examples of intuitively getting better at the game. The computer assisting your actions and through learning behaviors - like as most of us learn, learning the hard way first before getting better.
This will help create a sense of trust and knowledge. Users will feel more comfortable going into a PvP scenario, and understand the logic of the game better. Competitor Analysis from other games such as Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, which portray help as you play. Something that can be annoying, however is an option to help players wanting to experience and understand parts of the game they may not know.
[ Left 4 Dead showing tool tips and real-time actions to help new first time users: ref: http://cdowinterfacedesign.blogspot.com/ ]
This will help create a sense of trust and knowledge. Users will feel more comfortable going into a PvP scenario, and understand the logic of the game better. Competitor Analysis from other games such as Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, which portray help as you play. Something that can be annoying, however is an option to help players wanting to experience and understand parts of the game they may not know.
This could extend from the shop, to purchasing XP or Skins and league chat or playing in training mode. Step by step guides and aids to help the user and help their experience overall from the desktop client. To either be shown to first time players or have this as an option to be turned on or off for veterans of MOBA style games.
Similarly, I use to provide gaming lessons online for a fee to people wanting to learn Counter-Strike (yes cop out I know..) it helps them understand the pro aspects quicker and provides direct guides and tips to help. Now we have the likes of YouTube this kind of assistance is easier to get than ever. It is an awesome resource don't get me wrong but taking someone away from the game and client to find what they want, is a big no no for customer experience. Lets keep them in house playing and engaged, I noticed some videos are embedded on the client but is there an easy way to search "how to play jungle?" video guide for example?
Similarly, I use to provide gaming lessons online for a fee to people wanting to learn Counter-Strike (yes cop out I know..) it helps them understand the pro aspects quicker and provides direct guides and tips to help. Now we have the likes of YouTube this kind of assistance is easier to get than ever. It is an awesome resource don't get me wrong but taking someone away from the game and client to find what they want, is a big no no for customer experience. Lets keep them in house playing and engaged, I noticed some videos are embedded on the client but is there an easy way to search "how to play jungle?" video guide for example?
Bring on Day 5!