A few initial impressions (First Tutorial Mission)

[mllange]

As a new player, upon starting the Tutorial Campaign without glancing at the manual or documentation (as many gamers will undoubtably do), my first impression of the briefing and map were very favorable - polished with a bit of wow factor based on my expectations (coming from PG, PGII, etc.). However, if I truly were a new player without prior PG or strategy game experience, there is little when initially viewing the map to indicate which units are mine or what my objective may be, (in other words, there is not a pop-up message to provide me with even gentle guidance such as, "Your Red Force German platoons are mobilizing near the city currently identified with a Red German flag, found at hex marker (2,3)"). This type of information may seem too basic for many, but may be exactly what a true newbie to this type of game may need to get a comfortable start instead of fumbling around and experiencing any degree of initial frustration.

Another possibility would be a simple message telling the player that moving their mouse cursor over a city, bunker, or unit will indicate ownership and provide clues to enemy units and objectives. The color differentiation between the grey and green is subtle for those with color perception or vision problems, (personally I love it!). Such a player may need to see the unit panel information before they know what they are dealing with.

Also, if a newbie approaches the game as I am doing, certain game elements will not be clear (providing they avoided the manual or documentation), such as replacements, use of the strategic map, air/ground mode, etc. Would a brief introduction to these elements via pop-up messages be beneficial, or simply frustrate most of the more experienced players by having to click through the pop-up boxes?

[lordzimoa]

Pop-up messages in the tutorial and voice overs explaining the game are high on our to-do list. This will make the tutorials much clearer, so good feedback.