Of course, the final version of Cortex Command will probably fix some of the more awkward stuff.
I fully intend on implementing a nice learning curve for players that doesn't alienate vets either. The tutorial is currently pretty bad, it starts with "this is how you walk" and throws you right into "kill these eight million units" very quickly. As soon as it's possible to edit the tutorial mission's code, I'll be in there like a dirty towel.

possibly we could leave the current tutorial and then you can go on to an advanced tutorial

also an idea would be to do training on the tradestar. have a portal style background then have related actors, weapon and story(ronin attack?)

Even I find some aspects of the tutorial hard: your base is not well defended, those dreadnaughts can just waltz right in, and newplayers are hardly getting used to the buy menu before the eight million enemies come in and kill them.

I think a higher priority in cortex command should be getting walking right: everyone uses jetpacks because walking is slow and super buggy, you get stuck on everything and this can be fatal when legs explode.

Falling lightly on your head is fatal too.

But thats a result of the jetpack.

Well you can die of the jetpack more easily than walking, but you tend to get places faster and therefore accomplish more when you've just started.
Anyway, if Data fixed the gun orientation thing with crabs it'd make the tutorial easier, because when the dreadnoughts fall down the bunker they take a little while to get back up. If you were able to have some time where their little crab thing was an easy target and the dreadnought couldn't shoot back you'd have a bit more of a chance. It'd also encourage tank traps....

Not for casual huh? Why so? Because I'm a pretty casual player myself when it comes to any game.

And could you point out which parts make it hard for a casual player to approach/play the game? I'm gonna try to make things so that it would suit a casual player a bit more.

Like the tutorial for instance. I'd say its pretty ridiculous right now.
Not only that if you trigger the dummy attack just by accident, a new player will be completely lost what to do next and will try to figure out how to get him a new unit with a gun so could go beat the eight million dudes with it.

And on top of that the brain is a little too easy to reach.
And you only get 3 dummies in your garage. I'd rather have a dummy dispenser thing that gives you a single dummy to run around then gives you a new one incase you screw up.

And then I really like the idea of doing basic training on tradestar where you are in a controlled enviroment and you can learn every part of the game one by one.
Then at the end of this level, you can mess around with stuff in a very large room and then continue the game when youre happy with your skill.

Hardcore gamers want everything out of a game. This game has no rewards, no medals, no unlockables unless you count the base.rte spear gun and the ronin antigravity chocolate, etc, etc.

When the tutorial comes to an end.

'Well done, you have just reached the goal with your friendly companion dummy. Now please insert it into the furnace.'

'NooooooOOOOOO~!!!!'

Keyword is yet.
I'm sure when the metagame comes out, people will be shoving their conquest-in-three-turns in other people's faces.
Also, I bet unlockables will come in the form of being able to buy more factions' tools as you conquer more of the planet.

Well obviously you're not going to have all weapons available to you on the first mission.

Right?

I personally think this is bull♥♥♥♥. And the rewards, medals and other e-penis enlargers are something that wouldnt look good in CC. Maybe a "rating" how well you did on a mission, but I personally hate that crap.

The campaign is the only part where you would be playing with limitations.
Like you will be able to conquer and command other factions that will allow you to use them through various side/main missions to aid your quest in winning the campaign.

As for skirmish or any other modes... I dont know yet. Maybe the campaign will unlock some of the other factions to be used in skirmish like the evil enemy army or some rather "special" actor/items like a nuclear bomb or some other experimental toy.

If the game will be more casual, then I bet everything, except the last enemy faction will be available to use in skirmish so it wouldnt spoil the surprise at the end.

And btw I have no idea what the evil enemy faction will be so dont ask.

I'd dance for a bit, cause my tank would work properly. otherwise im going to have to do some lua on the aimangle. <_<

anyway, @numgun, i think what really makes the game harder for a casual player to get into is the steep as ♥♥♥♥ learning curve. walking is one of the hardest things in this game. i seriously thing there needs to be a run button, so we can have sprinting dummies and whatnot, preferably unable to fire.. or at least something that makes the AI move at a decent rate XD. anyway, when playing through the tutorial, guess what i found out? in the IGF build, you can press space at the end of the mission to go back to the campaign menu. but wait, theres more, the cursor has changed to the zombie cave mission! will the surprises ever end? yes, here!

also, CC is one of the few games i know that arent properly relateable to e-penis, please keep it that way. i do like the idea of ranks on a level (EDCBAS?) though.

How about no rewards, but unlockable big guns if you did epicly, like no losses.

I'm fairly sure that is a reward.

It would be useful to have a inter-mission data lua access.

For stuff like gold distributed across multiple missions, ect.