In our final blog post before the release of the Webgrave update, let’s talk onboarding.
Because nothing is harder to do, yet more important, than proper onboarding.
Most games get it wrong. Too much information or too little, poorly explained mechanics, a wall of text instead of action. There are very few games whose opening segment is both exciting and properly teaches the gameplay loop. Gears of War. Bioshock. Portal. Half-Life 2. Maybe Sekiro.
For a long time, Witchfire got it wrong, too. Our excuse was that we’re an Early Access title. We didn’t want to invest heavily in the tutorial knowing many things can and will change. We also assumed most players buying Early Access titles are experienced gamers who’d grasp concepts without much introduction.
We were, of course, wrong.
If there’s one game design book everyone should read, it’s The Gamer’s Brain by Celia Hodent. I’m not kidding – I genuinely don’t think a more important or better book on game design exists. And while I could quote an endless number of wisdom nuggets from it, here’s one that has stuck with me:
Yes, it’s better to annoy a veteran slightly than to have them miss something crucial. As an example, we had a FromSoftware fan and seasoned gamer play Witchfire. He progressed far but was frustrated by some aspects. When we asked him to record his gameplay, we were shocked to discover he wasn’t using Dash – around which our entire core combat loop is designed. Once he started using this feature, it was like he was playing a different game.
So we pushed hard, and the Webgrave update will feature an additional Prologue section to improve the onboarding process. Here’s a few screenshots:
It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. And let me tell you, for a segment this short, it took an insane amount of time to get even close to right. Back in 2011, I designed a parody of silly tutorials and their pacing…
…and even Ubisoft themselves did it:
But today, after watching people play the new Witchfire tutorial – ignoring hints or doing exactly the opposite – I am much, much less critical of these elaborate segments, especially in games targeting casual players.
Witchfire isn’t exactly that kind of game, though. Witchfire is a gamer’s game, so we won’t teach you how to “look around.” Still, we do teach a lot, employing various techniques, both intrusive and subtle. We hope you’ll forgive us – and find the Prologue useful.
But onboarding doesn’t end there.
Understanding a game is one thing; remembering how to play it after a break is another.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, we’re introducing an interactive help feature. One video is worth a thousand words… (Note: this is a video of the prototype. We’ll fill it with proper categories and content… tomorrow. Yolo.)
We hope both new and veteran players will find this feature handy.
And last but not least… Here’s Koschei.
It destroys …but will not be easy to obtain.
Good luck.
Hermitorium Archives
We may have taken a week off from writing to spend more time working on the game, but the community hasn’t been resting on their laurels. It’s fantastic to see, and we cannot wait for your thoughts and comments on Webgrave once it drops on Monday. Before that happens, let’s take a look at some of the more interesting posts from the past few days.
[Marks task as partially done]
Over the past months, there have been several threads with really valuable feedback, and this one is no different. What is different is timing. Webgrave will address some of the critiques from this - and many other - threads, so we’re counting on your opinions to keep coming our way to make Witchfire better.
The newly revealed interactive help (which will surely evolve over time), the changes to the Workshop and stat systems - it’s all there to make the game more enjoyable. Witchfire will remain challenging, make no mistake, but it’s like a battle between fire and ice. We create a mechanic or a path, and you find a way to…
… circumvent it.
We like to think we know our maps - after all, we designed and built them. We may leave a few secrets here and there, just for giggles, but we generally believe we’ve explored most nooks and crannies, at least collectively. And then someone like Labonski comes along and proves us wrong, demonstrating that jumping in that one spot might yield results we never foresaw, and showing us there are new pathways to explore.
And you know what? It’s fantastic. It may not be like discovering yet another path from the Templar’s Well to the Gorgons’ Labyrinth, but I know the thrill. I vividly remember my (successful) attempts to glitch onto Normandy’s “roof” in Mass (D)Effect 1 on Xbox 360 - good times. I wonder what exploits you’ll discover in Velmorne.
So we can patch them.
Or not.
Last minute edit:
It turns out that Labonski just managed an even more impressive feat, beating Witchfire in its current, pre-Webgrave state without leveling… anything. He even went as far as to de-level his save, bringing all statistics down to zero. No ascension, no secondary weapon, no demonic weapon, no spells (light or heavy), no relic, no fetish, no ring, no mysterium upgrades. Such minimalism would put monks to shame.
I mean… Hot damn, hats off, well done.
Gatekeepers gonna gatekeep. Somewhat.
We have quite a lot of stuff in our backlogs (fun fact: we have two of them - one for internal ideas, and the other for suggestions from you, the players), but few entries have as much mileage and as many notes saying “gotta get back to it” as the Gatekeeper. We know this trap needs a rethink and a redesign, and we’ll get to it in due time. Just letting you know that we understand why you’re not enthusiastic about it, and it won’t remain in its current shape forever.
Warm and fuzzy feelings.
While scouring the vast archive of feedback you’ve provided, we come across all sorts of comments - some make us reconsider and question the choices we’ve made (see the previous paragraph). Others tell us we’re wrong. But every once in a while, a comment genuinely makes us smile. This is one such comment, because it seems to support the idea that - at least for some of you - we’ve managed to capture lightning in a bottle and create a game that feels like home. Thanks.
Oh, and by the way - remember when two weeks ago I said I wouldn’t be surprised if, by the time Webgrave launches, we hit compilation number 62750?
I think I may have been a tad too conservative with my estimates, as with four days till launch, we’re already at 63630.
I can already hear the footsteps of the approaching changelog, and they are heavy. It’s going to be bigger than the Galley Slave…
Webgrave arrives Monday. We’ve shared quite a bit about the update, but we haven’t spilled all the beans. We’ve left plenty for you to discover, and we’d be thrilled if you decided to embark on a journey to Velmorne once the update drops at 6 PM CEST (12 PM EST).
See you there, preyers!