As I mentioned in the Global forum a while ago, we’re now back on working on the new user experience again. Someone naturally asked right away: Again? Didn’t you just do improvements to it?
Yes, we worked on improving the newbie experience last year, and it did have a positive effect on the stay rate among new users. But it’s still not good enough. And this is just so darn important to get right. For being able to grow the game, and to make any marketing of the game really effective.
Last time (and the times before that) we’ve mostly worked on improving what we’ve had, this time we’re doing something completely new. This new introduction is designed rather for people that may like a game like Hattrick, than the casual John Doe. With this I mean we strive to make the start of the game a lot more fun and interesting for that type of people rather than trying to make it as easy and “automatic” as possible.
This doesn’t mean it will be hard or so, but new users will have to make decisions already from the start. As it’s in the decision-making most of the fun is in my belief. Also, as part of this decision-making they get to form their own team, which I also hope will make users more instantly attached to their teams. Moreover, this way we also get a better chance to tutor new users and tell them what’s important in the game, one step at a time.
This game introduction will take place on a separate site/place, and before they even enter Hattrick for real. The first step (which is not that far from completed now) is a linear step by step introduction where users will first get to pick their coach. They get three coaches to choose from, where the only difference is the coaching style, off/def/neutral. After that they will get the pick their players (out of a pool of players), and then they will set their tactics (match order). One important thing with the players is that their not randomly created as in the past, they’re specifically tailored for this. Which means they don’t have any “bad skill combinations” for example, but more importantly it means we can offer a much better game help when it comes to telling what the different players are good at and what to think about.
When we’re done with this first step, we will release it and let some new users try it out. And when these users have done the above, they will enter the “real” Hattrick (and do the ordinary manager license). However, we will continue working with step 2 in this new intro.
In step 2, we will let users enter a tournament with four other new users after completing the coach/player picks and lineup settings. The tournament will have one match every day, and this will still take place on the same site “outside” Hattrick. Apart from that we will allow users to pick some few more players to completet their squad (it’s just something I find is a lot of fun), and naturally also start preparing them more about what will happen when they enter Hattrick for real. And when this newbie tournament is over, user can choose to either enter Hattrick for real or play another newbie tournament if they so wish.
With this second step we offer users a good entrance level and a chance to try the game out – and decide if this is something for them or not. And in the end, we’ll get more motivated and better educated users into Hattrick. This will also improve the “real” Hattrick for current users in lower divisions, as a team with an owner that only logged in once is just as boring to face as a bot. With this, we’ll get less such teams.
Overall with this new user introduction, we make a much more of a choice when it comes to choosing our users. We’ve chosen to make a design that will fit a gamer who may like a game like Hattrick, and with that we also know we will get less “casual” users. This should likely mean that less users actually will enter the game for real, but those who do will be more motivated and we’re confident we will have more staying new users after two weeks with this new intro than with the old one.
This was a short presention of the new introduction, and I think you get the picture. But this presentation can in fact be made even shorter: It’s how I would’ve wanted my start in Hattrick to be.
seems promising
It sounds like a really good idea to educate users and let them have a first try, before they decide if they really want to play this game. This could lead to more communication in lower divisions, too which can be an additional motivation.
It’s not clear to me if the old manager licence will be removed, when step two is ready for release,
The manager license will probably still be around after step 2 as well, but in a revised version.
Pretty good idea but I think more could be done.
I know it’s a little extreme but I think a 1/2 pyramid series system would be better than the current 1/4 system so there are more divisions to climb but less skill differences between them.
All the bots and non-users would fall to the bottom and teams that have been playing for a couple of seasons would have a more competitive series to play in.
My fun with Hattrick only really began when I actively moved to a more competitive series.
The other thing would farm teams that spoil the lower divisions. If you had more upgradable things like all staff including scouts (not just coach), training facilities and YA then new teams would have to play for success before they can do things like train a NT player.
The 2nd teams will help as well but put all things together and your onto a winner!
New users may be better prepared, but they the system is not newbie-friendly. Only new users in big countries find theirselves among almost equal managers, but in small countries the differences they encounter in their first year is, will stay huge. Good luck!
I’m sure I remember this sort of thing being mentioned before, about picking initial players for example. I thought it was getting put in the new intro when it was re-did back then, but I guess I was wrong.
Either way, this sounds like a great addition. Hopefully it will help with staying users. Getting the right users (rather than lots who may just leave again) is the most important and it seems that’s the direction you’re taking, which is great 🙂
Yes, the picking players/coach was also in the design I made for a new game intro design which were meant to be integrated in MyOffice when we worked with that some two years ago. For various reasons (mostly because of time factors), it was decided to skip that part back then. But well, now we do it. And it fits better in this new design now as well.
When this will be out, can we test it with a new second team?
I mean, I’m not platina yet, but if I’m upgrading to platina, is it possible to get this new system (when it will live)?
Thanks,
Alexandra
National Coach Hungary
See my reply to the previous question about this.
It could be a great idea for newbies, but it’s not a solution for the game problems. People in medium and highest leagues are bored with the game. Random engine for matches (their efforts dont have logical consecuences in the game) & hard limits to have fun with players buys/sells (many days you dont have anything interesting to do) are damaging the game.
I don’t like to write in a hard way such this because I know you are working hard trying to improve new user’s experience and I respect and admire you, but I really think you should add new features for managers trying to make a more exciting experience with more things to be done in the game.
( I also think that you could improve the match engine, but I know it is very difficult and it is not on your priority list.)
I think users could manage the ticket’s prices, you could add new transfers options, or for example the Youth Clubs could play at the lowest ‘normal’ leagues, so the newbie uses wouldnt be alone with bots… I mean you can add new features for people who like to log in hattrick everyday.
Despite my critic I’m happy to see that you keep on working on hattrick. I really love this game and I hope you do not misunderstand my comment.
Greetings 😉
Well, of course this is not something that will do any improvements for those that already play the game (well, apart from the very important thing that a healthy stream of new users is vital for the game itself and the game experience for everyone in the end). This is to make it more fun for new user to enter the game. Improvements in the core game are important as well of course, but this project is not about that and is – at this point – more prioritzed right now.
Will this be available for second teams?, at least the opportunity to pick your trainer and players.
I agree it would be a good feature there as well, but right now in the beginning at least it will only be available for new teams. Might be available for additional teams later on though.
Will there there any way for us older users to get a look at this?
Last time round there was “how do I do this in the license” questioning in the forums and I had no ieda what they were talking about 🙂
Not really, apart from any screenshots I’ll post in here later on. And also because all these things will be made before the new user enter the Hattrick world for real, you don’t really have a chance to get a look at this (and new users will not be able to post on the forum during this phase).
I think that this is a good idea.
but im worried about the direction in which Hattrick is going.
The fact that a major part of the latest improvements of the game costs money will make people, especially newbies to believe that in order to “really” enjoy this game you have to pay a lot of money. and people do not want to “partly” enjoy a game, in my opinion it will cause a lot of users to leave Hattrick, or newbies to avoid playing it, after they found out about it. maybe giving newbies silver supporter and free acces into tournament for half a year (for example) will motivate them to play Hattrick for this period and time and beyond.
I don’t think you should see our latest development as any new direction or so, it’s rather a reaction on that improvments on the “business side” haven’t been made for several years and it was much needed. There will naturally be more such improvements as well, but not in the same concentration – there will be a mix of stuff including pure game improvments as we move on.
As for giving newbies Supporter, they do get a Gold Supporter trial at the start of their career.
are there in the near future country’s to be added? i’m thinking about some African country’s that still be missing…Congo , Botswana , Zimbabwe, Zambia….Asian country’s Bhutan , Myanmar….and so on..
There are no such plans right now.
It sounds promising, but is not too much of these games tournament at the beginning of the game? No better slowly accustom them to the game? No better small spoon dosing emotions?:
Too much of these game tournaments in the beginning? They play one newbie tournament with this (and during that time that’s the only thing they play), I hardly think that’s too much. And this way, we don’t throw the whole game in their lap, we take it step by step instead.
I think that you should be thinking about advertising more.. I haven’t seen any ads and I play HT, so ads are not for the right people.
Hello HT-TJECKEN;
I tried to convince some friends to play Hattrick, but they often complain to me of things that maybe the game should have:
As a way of background even for you, I picked a few things:
“Mayara, My Girlfriend”
It is very frustrating to go to the World Cup when his team is still in the last division. I do not understand why they sent me over there and I could at least win a game it was.
“Anderson, my friend”
One thing that annoyed me was the fact dea We can not buy players from teams who saw bots. I think after my third season, a team with very good players turned bot. Then I think someone took control of the team, and all the good players are gone.
HT-Tjecken;
I understand that perhaps the first criticism does not make much sense, after all the first teams are Cup Bots, and the top is a good place to raise money and experience.
Maybe a tutorial in preparation, with a system of canopies for teams that started the same week that you would be cool.
As for the criticism of my friend about players bots, I think he is absolutely right.
When it is part of one of the three lower divisions of Hattrick, many teams give up in the middle, and they killed many good players.
There is a way to make possible the purchase of players to teams with bots / If it’s the market price?
What about the canopy, is there anything you have in mind?
Hugs, thank you for existing and making Hattrick a better place, and success.
“The tournament will have one match every day” – you wrote, no one match every week like it is now, buddy. This is to much in the beginning with Hattrick. But this is only my opinion, of course:)
Hi,
Well, some of my friends are concerned about 3 things:
1. Will be possibility to get club not from mother country as in last tests? I mean for new users without plaitinium. Mos of them dont want change like that.
2. Are all clubs from last tests just only for test – I mean They will be booted soon? for example Flames of Revenge Maldives (1961101)
3. Flames of Revenge Maldives (1961101) get around 500k euro from transfers at the start. Isn’t this too much ?
In my opinion the new tutorial is good idea but dont complicate it too much pls
Have a nice summer too
Łukasz
It’s not yet decided how we will handle signup countries once the new tutorial is out. but I do think any teams that have signed up as part of it will stay yes.
Is it part of the new “new user experience” that new user are free to choose the country they want to play in?
It’s one of the things being tested, yes
I’ve been in the game long enough and I can understand that entering new positions last to leave the game.
They rightly say:
Hattrick bit reflects the reality of multiple injuries and warnings (random?).
The teams may be suicide low its economy to benefit the great friends.
If you are suicidal, the economy is impossible to maintain if you aspire to grow with good signings.
The quarry is a caricature of reality where the main team is the real quarry high division teams.
A team will get only medium being among the greatest when a large disappear, while they dominate the market, the economy, transfers ……
As someone who’s waiting for a team for 4 days now (even though the page at login says “a couple of minutes”) , I’d say, one of the improvements should be approving the new teams faster. I got bored waiting…
7 days now… my F5 key is starting to wear out….
Finally 😀 Got myself a team ! 😀 woop Whoooop!
I tthink People aren’t bored with the game because match engine isn’t too evoluate.
if people should try Solution To Einstein’s Riddle with the analys of speciality of his team/weather/speciality of other team/tactic/… , it would be better
When will be these new features released? they seems really intersting.
i could try to get back to play.
thanks
They should all be out by Friday this week.
So this means that in the meantime i could ask for a new a team. 😀
thanks a lot for the quick reply.