New Player Crafting Experiment

[[DE]CoreyOnline]

When it comes to reviewing our New Player Experience, there’s a lot of clear work to be done in terms of directing players to key story progression. However, when it comes to systems progression, we want to run some proper tests on what the true best way to teach a player the value of Crafting and Resources is.

We want to explore what happens when players are introduced to weapon crafting earlier on and how this impacts the new player experience, an exercise more commonly known as A/B testing. Our goal is to give players a suggestion on what next to pursue in Warframe after finishing their first Quest.

After completing the Vor’s Prize Quest, some new players will receive an Inbox message from Darvo that contains the Burston Blueprint along with one of three different Resources packages. For more experienced players, these small Resource bundles may not have an impact, but for new Tenno it may help them learn about the deeper crafting system in Warframe!

Overall there will be four possible outcomes for new players after completing Vor’s Prize for the first time:

1. Player completes Vor’s Prize and there is no new Inbox message.
2. Player completes Vor’s Prize and gets an Inbox message with the Burston Blueprint and all the required Resources to build it.
3. Player completes Vor’s Prize and gets an Inbox message with the Burston Blueprint and all required Resources to build it, except for Ferrite.
4. Player completes Vor’s Prize and gets an Inbox message with the Burston Blueprint and no Resource package.

We’ll closely monitor whether one of these four versions leads to a better play experience and understanding of the crafting system. This test will run for four weeks before the version that appears to provide the most positive New Player Experience becomes the standard for all new players.

Understandably you may be wondering why this post is necessary if we’re looking for genuine results from this experiment. Our goal here is to be transparent and not hide the fact that we’re trying some new things in an effort to better the New Player Experience.

 

3/15/2021 Update:

Hello! The first 4 weeks of this experiment is nearing it's end and we're analyzing the results. We'll be leaving this experiment live while we analyze to make a permanent game plan moving forward. 

Edited March 15, 2021 by [DE]Megan
3/15/2021 Update

[Askell91]

Warframe became overloaded with stuff to learn troughout the years.

Popups and tip windows could help a lot to new players (should have on/off button in options and on by default)

Maybe make Ordis usefull and make him give tips them dunno.

A lot of new player met had no idea they can mod theyr weapons.....

[Duality52]

4 minutes ago, [DE]CoreyOnline said:

Our goal here is to be transparent and not hide the fact that we’re trying some new things in an effort to better the New Player Experience.

It would also be wise to inform new players about Extractors and where resources are located. The Codex should be more effective in conveying information to the player as well, which requires cleaning it up.

What's also important is to make the game less dependent on the Wiki, allowing players a fair share of their own exploration and tutorials to ensure they don't get overwhelmed nor lost in the process.

[LillyRaccune]

Very cool experiment! Please share some info-graphics with us in a few months. I'm interested in your results. Most new players wouldn't see this message anyway, so I think this a good experiment. I think the pace and scope of this test is ideal.

@[DE]CoreyOnline Is this test for PC only, or also on consoles?

 

2 minutes ago, Askell91 said:

Popups and tip windows could help a lot to new players

Inbox messages are safest, guaranteed to been seen and possible to review.

3 minutes ago, Duality52 said:

It would also be wise to inform new players about Extractors and where resources are located.

That is light years ahead of new players that are just completing Vor's Prize. The nature of the experiment is to see if they will craft anything. Let alone building an extractor and clearing all the nodes from a planet to deploy one.

[-Krux-]

Maybe fix the UI to show what resources come from what planets when you mouseover them instead of the assbackwards way it works now.

[kyori]

25 minutes ago, [DE]CoreyOnline said:

Player completes Vor’s Prize and there is no new Inbox message.

May I ask what is the point if there is nothing for new tenno to gain?

If really want to let new players experience the crafting system, then may I suggest a small quest (that reward the Burston Blueprint) in which ordis guide the player to go about acquiring the needed resources and teach them how to use all the segments in the orbiter

You need to guide and teach new players what n what in the game does. Not just throw things at them and let them find out.

Bad in-game communication is quite known in this game. 1 good example is the Limbo Theroem. After getting the Proof Fragments, nothing was told to the player that they need to craft it in the foundry. 

[[DE]CoreyOnline]

16 minutes ago, LillyRaccune said:

@[DE]CoreyOnline Is this test for PC only, or also on consoles?

This will in fact be PC only, with the intention to have the most successful of these 4 variations be standardized across platforms shortly after the four week PC run!

[bad4youLT]

Some of the key materials are locked away behind planet progression like neural sensors or argon crystals , I think early obtainable weapons and warframes should have their material requirments changed to early planets resource .

 

[[DE]CoreyOnline]

7 minutes ago, kyori said:

39 minutes ago, [DE]CoreyOnline said:

Player completes Vor’s Prize and there is no new Inbox message.

May I ask what is the point if there is nothing for new tenno to gain?

As far as the experiment goes, it's a common practice to have one of the options be sort of be an untouched version for comparison's sake (No Darvo message is how things are now). There's always the possibility, however unlikely, that adding the new message is one too many things and actually causes new folks to leave earlier. So just a best practice! :) 

[FSK41]

vor 37 Minuten schrieb Askell91:

Warframe became overloaded with stuff to learn troughout the years.

Popups and tip windows could help a lot to new players (should have on/off button in options and on by default)

Maybe make Ordis usefull and make him give tips them dunno.

A lot of new player met had no idea they can mod theyr weapons.....

Warframe became overloaded with people that think this is a shooter and Inaros mains. The game did not get more complicated in many aspects it got way easier.

 

The people are the problem,not the game. DE doesnt force or provide as many oppertunities (events) to give players a reason to ;quote on quote; git  gud.

 

They they their Ignis and Inaros and hold fire button or spamm E and that since the first mission (spamming E)  coz youtubers do the same.

[FSK41]

vor 1 Minute schrieb FSK41:

Warframe became overloaded with people that think this is a shooter and Inaros mains. The game did not get more complicated in many aspects it got way easier.

 

The people are the problem,not the game. DE doesnt force or provide as many oppertunities (events) to give players a reason to ;quote on quote; git  gud.

 

They take their Ignis and Inaros and hold fire button or spamm E and that since the first mission (spamming E)  coz yutubers do the same.

If you think this isnt true then tell me why Ignis wraith % usage is the highest BY FAR in 2020 and why people  Use Inaros (without actually using ANY ability except the 4 maybe?)

Edited February 12, 2021 by FSK41
.

[16Bitman]

That's a great idea!

 

Please also tell the new players that they can get more blueprints for credits directly from the market, I see a ton of new players that only use the blueprints they get from the junctions.

[Loza03]

Things like this give me hope for the future. The start of 2021 has been very buoying for me thus far!

[-JT-_-R3W1ND]

LOL. How about have Market with more oblivious BPs?

Do you really have many plat from a "wow, market! I should buy everything, there is my wallet"?

I'm not sure, but IMHO this only leads to "this game is rediculos, i will delete it right now!".

[UNG_God]

if going that direction, should have more tutoring quests , not journeys , after completing the vor prize players should visit the relay and there each important npc, the sindicates , silmaris, tenshi should have a little quest teaching those little things like modding your arsenal and frames, how to use consumables , about resource location extractors , and on and on .

[Tiltskillet]

33 minutes ago, FSK41 said:

The people are the problem,not the game.

That sounds like a great motto for a successful developer.

[Surbusken]

Honestly, I would go with 3.

But change it, so the resource is gated on the last planet, having to grind out the entire star chart for just one resource.

Then once they get to the last planet, they find out the need a level 2 fishing pole for the blueprint, first.

Though they have to grind another grind for the level 1 mining laser which requires you play bounties.

Now unfortunately they can't play through those now, because they are locked on daily standing from low MR. Also, it's not the right day cycle.

Then they spend 5 days randomly searching for a faction standing level up item, only to learn it only spawns in certain areas.

This is where they find out having to watch youtube videos and read wiki on everything before you play anything.

If the aim is introducing the player to the game and full transparency, might aswell just come out of the bush about it right off the bat.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Surbusken

[DragoonStorm1]

1 hour ago, Askell91 said:

 

A lot of new player met had no idea they can mod theyr weapons.....

yeah, the first junction requires applying 3 mods and fusing a mod to rank 2, but it still explains NOTHING: like how to get to the modding screen in the first place, or what modding does.

[Askell91]

44 minutes ago, FSK41 said:

Warframe became overloaded with people that think this is a shooter and Inaros mains. The game did not get more complicated in many aspects it got way easier.

 

The people are the problem,not the game. DE doesnt force or provide as many oppertunities (events) to give players a reason to ;quote on quote; git  gud.

 

They they their Ignis and Inaros and hold fire button or spamm E and that since the first mission (spamming E)  coz youtubers do the same.

Git gud in a fully PvE game. Kay Brad. >_>

[Lightning_Bloom]

Really, #3 sounds like the best option. Give players a blueprint, and most of the resources, then direct them to where they may be able to get the rest of what they need.

[Gentleman_Bird]

I think we're missing the main issue entirely. The issue for new players is finding the weapon blueprints in the first place. When a new player installs the Market segment for the first time, they see all the new featured items that all cost platinum, and they assume that the Market is just full of microtransactions. Then, they completely ignore the Market until someone else informs them that the Market is where you get weapon blueprints. That's what I thought when I was new, and I've seen DE's sponsored content creators come to the same conclusion. Sending newbies a Burston blueprint through the mail does not solve this issue. It might even make the system more confusing since they may think that the main source of blueprints is through the in-game mail system.

 

The market needs to do a better job of showing newbies stuff that they CAN buy with credits. There's a selection of MK1 weapons (and a few others) that can be purchased straight away with credits. These should be displayed to a new player front and center when they first open the market, under something like a "Training weapons" category. Then the market can suggest "upgraded" weapon blueprints. For example, if a player reaches a certain affinity level with the MK1 Paris (maybe around level 15-20), the game can send them a blueprint for the Paris, along with the message that additional weapon blueprints can be found in the Market.

 

Also, the market could use a sorting option that shows players the blueprints they can buy with their current mastery level. If a MR2 player wants to find a new weapon, they need to sort through the entire market weapon by weapon until they find one that they can actually use. A market filter that filters out weapons that are MR locked at the player's current level can be helpful.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Gentleman_Bird

[arkadikos213]

For options with no full resource you should include info where this resources can be find or where this info is.

[Krilexis]

Sounds like a good idea Id say lets wait how it goes. Materials except ferrite is weird but why not, players may have some ferrite already and notice that they earned it while doing Earth missions.

[Sdarts]

21 minutes ago, Gentleman_Bird said:

I think we're missing the main issue entirely. The issue for new players is finding the weapon blueprints in the first place. When a new player installs the Market segment for the first time, they see all the new featured items that all cost platinum, and they assume that the Market is just full of microtransactions. Then, they completely ignore the Market until someone else informs them that the Market is where you get weapon blueprints. That's what I thought when I was new, and I've seen DE's sponsored content creators come to the same conclusion. Sending newbies a Burston blueprint through the mail does not solve this issue.

 

The market needs to do a better job of showing newbies stuff that they CAN buy with credits. There's a selection of MK1 weapons (and a few others) that can be purchased straight away with credits. These should be displayed to a new player front and center when they first open the market, under something like a "Training weapons" category. Then the market can suggest "upgraded" weapon blueprints. For example, if a player reaches a certain affinity level with the MK1 Paris (maybe around level 15-20), the game can send them a blueprint for the Paris, along with the message that additional weapon blueprints can be found in the Market.

 

Also, the market could use a sorting option that shows players the blueprints they can buy with their current mastery level. If a MR2 player wants to find a new weapon, they need to sort through the entire market weapon by weapon until they find one that they can actually use. A market filter that filters out weapons that are MR locked at the player's current level can be helpful.

All great suggestions. Really. That's one of - if not - the biggest issues I've heard from years as well, they see the market and they only see Platinum this and Platinum that. The same happened with me the first time I played Warframe back in November of 2013.

I played one mission, didn't understand anything, left and went to the market, saw all these cool and great characters and weapons, then I saw the Platinum cost and immediately closed the game. Fully not intending to go back.

I was modding Mass Effect 3 at the time and it was a very tedious and long process - you had to unpack the textures one by one, mod and repack them again, which the repacking process took many hours. It was because of that, that in December of that year I decided to give Warframe another chance, as there wasn't much else to do while waiting for the repacking to finish.

When I learned about the fact that most stuff in the market that wasn't cosmetic was buildable, and that the cosmetics were acquirable through trading, that's when Warframe clicked and over 7 years later, I'm still here.

For anyone wondering why I'm telling this story, it's for the fact that in these over 7 years, the game still doesn't explain the most essential systems to new players. A game that has grow and evolved so much, but the new player experience is still a very bad experience. It's insane, really.

Like many people have said over the years, there should be quests - just like the story quests - that introduce and show each of the systems to new players. I know it would take a lot of effort, resources and time, but there's no "easy way out", that commitment does need to happen.

Otherwise, all of these well intentioned, but misguided small attempts will never be as successful as the developers intend them to be. You can't use shortcuts on this one, there needs to be a lot of effort put into it. And it would be worth it, because the number one obstacle to new players I hear and read is that Warframe is very complex to get into.

When new players need to read or watch many guides, or have a veteran sponsor readily available most of the time to show them the ropes and answer their hundreds of questions, that's how you know the game is very unfriendly to new players. I don't have all the answers, but I know that this issue isn't something that easy fixes will resolve.

[jinxeverything]

2 hours ago, [DE]CoreyOnline said:

• Player completes Vor’s Prize and there is no new Inbox message.
• Player completes Vor’s Prize and gets an Inbox message with the Burston Blueprint and all the required Resources to build it.
• Player completes Vor’s Prize and gets an Inbox message with the Burston Blueprint and all required Resources to build it, except for Ferrite.
• Player completes Vor’s Prize and gets an Inbox message with the Burston Blueprint and no Resource package.

Option #5 - Player completes Vor's Prize and a random node on Planet Earth will have an alert for Burston BP and all the resources needed to craft it is from Planet Earth itself!

(baby steps and its less overwhelming this way since less jumping around from planet to planet will allow to player to focus, would be nice if the starting gears AKA MR0-2 also requires resources from Planet Earth then its time to branch out) 

When the player select the node to start the mission, a popup will show up with the first line reflecting that this alert is a tutorial alert and that other BP are obtained from missions / NPC or a vendor! (this item on the house to help the player start :))

The same popup will show up when the player is about to claim the item from Foundry which explains that in order to craft, you need credits and different resources which comes from different plants/ locations! (most players are too excited to craft new gear they double checking its cost, credits and resources, been there done that)

These popups are unskippable and you need to confirm exit with another popup! (sometimes you need to force feed the players some info regarding something)

As for Inbox message, have a standalone invasion vs Infested that have random reward, this is a good use for Inbox and good introduction to Invasion missions!(Invasions have random reward most of the times, its a good thing to include a line that states Invasion missions have random rewards when the player select them though)

My pieces, sorry if this is not what you wanted as a feedback.