Topic
Discuss Recently Announced Future Features
From the blog:
glitch.com/blog/2011/01/11/...
"And, because so many of you have been curious, a short list of our top priorities before we head into beta (the “real” list has five times as many items, but most of the work is below the tip of the iceberg; 90% of the software we make is stuff that you never see or feel when playing the game):
-- A new Wardrobe (for clothes) and Vanity (faces/hair) system for avatar customization which will support the expanded options and make things easier.
-- Revamped get info system in the game interface and the (proper) launch of the Encyclopedia to make some of the current non-fun mysteries non-mysterious in the first place.
-- A round of performance improvements for the game client to get it running smoother and faster on a bigger variety of browsers & platforms.
-- UI overhauls for in-game Chat (to make it easier to carry on several conversations at once along) and Crafting (to give additional information about recipes, ingredients and how things are made and less tool-switching when making higher-level/complex items).
-- A bunch of new skills and quests and things the animals, trees & spirits can talk to you about, giving more backstory, and for those who want it, guidance in what to do in the world.
-- Group halls and changes to group structure so that groups have a real presence in the world."
Replies
- I think they've mostly been discussed many times already.
- Tingly, if you have something to add to this discussion other than "there's nothing to discuss", please do so.
- Group halls sound much more friendly than a single Market hall. I love the fact that they're making groups more important. :)
- "Mostly" does not mean "completely."
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"-- Revamped get info system in the game interface and the (proper) launch of the Encyclopedia to make some of the current non-fun mysteries non-mysterious in the first place."
Like salt, I presume :D As that progresses I think those of us who hang around the Help Channel should make an effort to send people to the Encyclopaedia instead of giving straight up answers. I know right now just getting to the item descriptions is a mystery in itself, but once it's more accessible... - I am breathless in anticipation of the UI in-game Chat overhaul..those right hand chat boxes get supersmall, superfast!
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"-- Revamped get info system in the game interface and the (proper) launch of the Encyclopedia to make some of the current non-fun mysteries non-mysterious in the first place."
As a fairly new Glitchian (last 2 tests) I have recently asked many of the questions that relate to the non-fun mysteries. I was very thankful for the help I got from the help channel, but I would have loved to have had another resource. That way, I could save the help channel for the truly perplexing things. I think if it just covered salt, milk/butter/cheese, and a couple other ones it would help tremendously. - Proper launch of the Encyclopedia = no need for a wiki?? Discuss.
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I think "proper launch of the Encyclopedia" means there could be easier ways to get answers to basic questions like "Where do I buy honey? and "Where does cheese come from?". If it seems likely that the answer is findable, I think many people will try looking around.
A wiki is more for in-depth information and reference, I think, rather than a new-player introduction. Would a perfect game never need a wiki, having all the reference information and tools exactly where players needed them in-game? Maybe. But how long would it take to produce such a creation? :)
I think a wiki is also a part of the player community. It gives all of us a place to discuss strategy and play style, something which really isn't part of an instruction set. Forums and groups serve the same purpose, in different ways. - ++ to the chat UI update. :) I'm looking forward to that one too!
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there are certain things the encyclopedia won't contain that a wiki certainly would.
i imagine the encyclopedia might contain energy and ingredients to make the item, plus energy output when consumed, stack size and maybe descriptions of associated verbs ... basically all the information we have in game once you have the necessary tools to make an item, plus the item itself. "non-mysteries".
but a wiki could list vendor selling prices and lists of the best recipes one can make using that item and ratios like energy in to make versus energy out to consume and thereby wether it is best to consume raw or add value by cooking.
i think a better encyclopedia and more info system could very well render a user-wiki unnecessary, though I doubt it would render such a thing totally useless. -
regarding chat, probably what I'm looking forawrd to most.
chat is really difficult to get right tho, especially under the constraints the game interface imposes. i'm curious to see how this is handled.
the multi-tool crafting interface switching is also really annoying. it sounds like the devs are going to really focus on making crafting slick and not a mess of pop-ups where you are constantly going back and for between different tools in different parts of your pack. -
From what I have seen, user-wikis usually differ from in-game encyclopaedias in that the latter restricts itself to basic information which does not spoil any of the game puzzles, while the former can be used as a walkthrough. I think a user-wiki will always have its purpose, though obviously it will be up to users to create it so whether it exists or not isn't a matter of discussion so much as of volunteer will...
I would see the Encyclopaedia as giving enough information for the user to piece together answers without actually giving the answers away. For instance, the entry for Salt could list its category as 'Spice', and even if it would not explain that Salt can be made with the Spice Mill, the average user would be smart enough to figure it out right away just from that description. Just as the recipe for Humbabol is given away in the picture, but never listed outright in the description. -
Excited for all of they changes. They all sound great. Especially more skills and quests! And chat.
And of course, I'm interested to see what the revamped Encyclopedia will look like. I know the wiki will absolutely have a place when all is said and done since it will have all the information the encyclopedia has, plus walkthroughs, strategies, etc. It's just a question of how far the devs want to go: As far as "how much energy is expended on a certain task?" As far as "Where do I get salt/cheese?" We'll see. -
Slightly earlier in the post, Key Locked Doors are mentioned:
Key-Locked Doors: You can unlock doors to otherwise inaccessible streets using keys hidden in the world. There are only a few of these now, but there will be more coming.
Has anyone seen these? Or have I just missed them. Where are they? - I got one it is on a new street. The place looked like a DK game complete with babanas and loads of Quoins.
- Looking forward to everything, especially the new Chat system + game client that doesn't cause my laptop to turn into a toaster.
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we unlocked two last test.
both were "runs". the key would spaw every ten minutes on the level with the door.
if you had the key in your pack you could enter the door and the key would vanish.
you could run through the level collecting quoins and items and then exit through a different door onto a different street.
run back to the key spawn point, wait ten minutes and do it all again.
multiple people could go into the level by clicking follow on the person with the key before they entered the door. - Sweet, can't wait to try this next test.
- Set the inside level as your teleport point to go back whenever ;)