This is an idea I’ve had floating around in my head for a long time now, and recently since players like WNP78 have become a pet of the developer team, a halfway form of this ideas has sort of been introduced. The necessity of this feature has been pointed out to me by my teaching someone else to play
The idea: “Advanced Mode”
Let me start by explaining the need for this option, and then I’ll tell you a little more about the possibilities it could open up.
Over the development of SimplePlanes, I have noticed a clear division between the suggestions from advanced players and the necessity for simplicity for new players. New players need the game to remain, well, simple, while advanced players have been calling for features like overload mod, fine tuner, and funkytrees for ages now. Many game suggestions (like the addition of more game breaking options like overload) have been avoided because they would ruin the original beginner game experience of having a simple physics simulator. The addition of an “Advanced Mode” checkbox in settings to turn on feature like Fine Tuner Mod, Overload Mod, and other more niche features, would eliminate the need to worry about balancing beginner and expert experience.
Proposed features for Advanced Mode:
- Activating “mods” button on Home Screen
- Activating more sliders and buttons for part settings by default
-Adding a custom RGB controller for colors (like in the color editor mod)
-Custom screenshots
-Removing confusing features like fine tuner and blueprints (these can be hard to learn for new players)
-allowing more mods (like overload and fine tuner) to be added to the base game without worries of perfect ease of use or integration.
This may sound complex, but really that simple option could remove barriers for advanced players, and create an easier experience for new players
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Thanks,
judging on some comments below, i guess im pretty much the only user who agrees with this
No offense, but no.
Ok...no
Won`t agree. Locking away some features may work, but SP is not Stormworks. It has less pieces, but SP is truly an example of "less is more". You may lock away mods but sp is a game where "advanced" has more to do with skills than tools".
So locking slightly more advanced features such as FineTuner, Connection editor and so may simplify the game, but it still is not that straightforward.
And there is the total problem of the game.
Simpleplanes has little tutorial. It does not even explain fuselage blocks. Simple stuff is explained but stuff like VTOL, rotators and advanced mechanisms leave unexplained. Simpleplanes gives too much stuff to guess and it can take time. I spent like two years to understand the core mechanics of the game and there is a ton of stuff i haven
t even tried or know.t know how to use them and what for to use them. Here, locking away some parts may work, but the key is not only to lock some stuff out, but use it to explain the stiff left here without distraction.Many players quit the game because there is too many features and they don
We need complete and comprehensive interactive tutorials to explain using fuselage blocks, making landing gear, balancing the airplane, making detail, making cockpits and instruments etc... Also ingame stock FunkyTrees input tool. It is weird to have a feature availible only through save editing! Not all even know it is there!
And there is even little to none player-made tutorial. People take months to learn the game or even more if they are not a part of a community group on social media or do not appear on this site.
Though, the SP site makes this game so social and unique. Tearing other planes apart and learning from that is good. But it won`t replace a well-made guide. Nothing will.
SimplePlanes is not Stormworks, it has barely 70 part types, and you can make a pro grade plane using only 5: fuselage, any engine, rotator, wheel, wing (cus all wings are same part type except structural ofc). Not much to get lost in.
sry just a wall of thought and feelings.
We need tutorial.
Kinda facts tho. Then they don’t have to be concerned on how to figure other stuff out and they can focus on building technique and structure
Yeah, this a really good idea and I heavily agree with it.
Advanced mode already is there in stormworks, and why not add it here?
YES!
I think this would be really good. Sometimes when I first start a game that’s extremely complex and limitless like SP, I like things to be really simple and straight forward at the start, and once I figure that stuff and find a bunch of things that I wanna fiddle with and fine tune, I like turning on all the advanced stuff.
Yeah many others have already pointed out some of the potential issues. While on the surface it seems like a decent idea, I mean I do think the divide and the learning is quite steep especially if you’re going through it alone, having an ambiguous ’advanced mode’ seems like it may act as another barrier to entry for beginners.
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I remember when I first downloaded the game and I thought that the only way to build crafts was with those terrible premade block pieces. That was before I downloaded a craft and realised that most people actually built with fuselage blocks (which I had assumed to just be round cylinders that could not be edited). I feel an advanced mode would just confuse beginners more, and kinda deter them away.
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Instead I think that the in game tutorial isn’t enough, it barely teaches you anything substantial. However I’m not too sure how willing the devs would be to commit to adding a better tutorial in SP, but perhaps for SP2 in future.
Maybe they should just make another game called “complexplanes”
not important as andrew garrison face loading screen
Approving cupcake approves
hello yes I agree
I'd love to record tutorials and other helpful/fun vids for SP.com but for some reason I can't seem to record SP at more than 10fps...
I'd love to record tutorials and other helpful/fun vids for SP.com but for some reason I can't seem to record SP at more than 10fps...
On the contrary I think that this feature would create an even bigger divide within the community...
Better/more tutorials would be better, but I think the problem is that there is not enough community coverage and tutorials... For techniques such as panelling, instruments, Funky Trees, as a few examples of things which can't be taught within the game. The important thing that comes from this is motivating people to learn the features of the game and try them out.
My question is why hide feature for people who don't use them, when they don't use them?
The features (to hide) you mentioned are ones that you have to look for. Hiding them wouldn't de-clutter the screen or even the simple fun of building/flying simple planes.
When I started playing (over 4 ago now), we didn't even have these features. People still managed to make amazingly complex stuff! But it was SOOOOO difficult to do! And these features are SOOO useful even to users who build very minimalist planes.
TLDR: I don't see the point... ¯_(ツ)_/¯
For advance mode to work, we actually need more of those advanced features. Stuff like a, scripting system, detailed parts management, modular engine system, complex fuselage shapes, advanced wing simulation along with wing design, complex weapons system, and more. Right now, SP is still like lego plane builder, wiith added cheat mode (overload and funky tree)
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The balance of the game has been long lost since the inclusion of overload. I think now is a good time for the Devs to just go wild and add various things to SP and see how it affects the overall game. Then they would take notes and use that lesson learned to make a better, more robust game. SP2 anyone?
@Chancey21 Teaching this game is like herding cats.
More tutorials for beginners would be useful.
The idea is great, but i dont see a good way it could be executed in a manner that would make things less confusing for beginners
I think keeping the game simple is important, but those niche features are somewhat hidden anyway. the only thing i would see advanced mode hiding is the part transform tool and the blueprint tools, but disabling mods using this feature would probably make people trying to install them for the first time be even more confused if they didnt know advanced mode existed. Some people who play the game dont go to the website at all, and they would probably need to see the website to know what the feature is.
Improved in-game tutorials might be better, but this sounds interesting
@Chancey21
Yes, unfortunately. I was a horrible learner. Your point is still solid though–the beginner barrier is large.
I think a better way to do it would be improving the tutorials–they barely scratch the depth of the game right now. If they taught you how to use fuselage blocks, and some XML basics, I'm sure beginner posts would improve significantly.
Man, I couldn’t have imagined the backlash for saying this game needs to be more approachable to beginners. Has anyone else here actually tried to teach this game to anyone?
Ehhhh it kinda makes it a little pointless. If there should be an advance mode, there should be new features like piping, logic and gearboxes and stuff, like Stormworks: Build and Rescue. Although, more sliders and the RGB colors kind of makes sense though,