How to better aid the new player.

[Liadan]

In order to keep the new players the older players must try to remember what it was like when they started.

Are you suggesting a playerwipe? 

If you did that, many veterans would sleep like babies-wake up crying every two hours!

that would be fun! playerwipe that is...keep everyone on their toes...make levelling up not so important!

[Jeraphon]

Nah. Then the quest guides will just be "if you want to level this faction, do these quests.  If you want to level this other faction, do these quests....."

I wonder if people are in fact spading quests. Do people know about the alternative quest endings, or - gasp - the third way into the winch?

[Parallo]

There is more than one? Goodness, I am out of the loop.

[Jeraphon]

There is more than one? Goodness, I am out of the loop.

Settings has never made the number of ways into the winch a secret. (There are three sides to winch access! Which will YOU play with?)

We've just not said anything about how to get to the second or third. The second was found mostly on its own. However, by the time the third came out, most people either already had winch access, or were asking others how to get into the winch and getting info on one of the first two ways. Add to this the fact that once you get into the winch you can't get the other winch quests, and jinkies, we've got us a groovy mystery! 

The third way is in fact a rare treasure and is, in my opinion anyway, one of the best quests in the game, if not THE best. (Full disclosure: I wrote it, so I'm biased)

[Zan]

Well I can guess what the third way must be, having read the book, but I haven't stumbled across the quest. Sadly I don't have any characters that would pick that option either. Maybe I'll just do it some time out of curiosity ... or to see if Jeraphon isn't bragging too much about his own work

[Xolani]

The problem mentioning that once you enter the game a new player will ask "ok what do I do now?" is a problem to consider. I think before leaving the tutorial the last npc you meet should give you a list of npc to talk to and where to find them. This small list will contain npc's that have a few easy quests to start out with and thier quests are a good introduction to what the game will be like. Either that or the last npc in the tutorial should tell you to talk with someone as part of a quest that is begun as soon as you spawn in Hydlaa. (part of the quest will be finding them and talking to them so you will not have the majority or any quest info till you do so.)

[SerqFeht]

1. Explain PP and how to train somewhere. All the newbies want to become a wizard. Great. They don't comprehend they must kill 40 clackers with a sword to train magic first, however. Also, they should be shown some monsters that are good for noobs to kill, and actually give enough pp. Rats don't give enough. Perhaps a 'zoo' in the tutorial.

3. Enkis spawn in Hydlaa for first three deaths. It sucks to be in Ojaveda as a newbie. Nothing to do, no easy monsters besides worthless rats, impossible to go anywhere without getting very lost...

Everytime I go to Oja, I end up leading 3 newbies back to Hydlaa. I often lose one somewhere on the way.

My second point (guilds) caused the rest of the post to to ignored. I think these are just as important. One is a tutorial upgrade, and the other is easy to code, and will be so much easier on the poor newbies.

[Waylander]

The problem mentioning that once you enter the game a new player will ask "ok what do I do now?" is a problem to consider. I think before leaving the tutorial the last npc you meet should give you a list of npc to talk to and where to find them. This small list will contain npc's that have a few easy quests to start out with and thier quests are a good introduction to what the game will be like. Either that or the last npc in the tutorial should tell you to talk with someone as part of a quest that is begun as soon as you spawn in Hydlaa. (part of the quest will be finding them and talking to them so you will not have the majority or any quest info till you do so.)

Hold the phone.  This is an awesome idea.

An OOC book, something like a guide given at the end of the quest.

Xolani gets a Waylander point.

I also really like the Enki spawning in Hydlaa fo the first couple times, idea.  Though I'd include a message when the spawn point switched.

[Marqsaynt]

*picks up the on-hold call so it stops blinking at him*

"Huh? Is my refrigerator running..?"

*hangs up phone*

My biggest problem with the enki spawning "forgiveness" period and the newbie book is that they both seem rather OOC when, I at least thought that part of the goal was to assimilate new players in as much of an RP and IC way as possible.

With the newbie book, I like the heart of the idea but, just would like to see it employed a little differently... why not have something like a city "Bureau of Tourism" or some other civic building where all new citizens of that town need to check in (and in the mean time get some very helpful information ); think of it as the PS equivalent of the old US Ellis Island.

On the spawning in Oja idea, okay, okay, I'll admit I'm a little biased. I spawned in Ojaveda my first time playing PS and to be honest, I am really glad I did. Rarely is Oja a true ghost town, sure it's not nearly as busy as Hydlaa but, in a lot of ways that can be a good thing when you're just starting out and don't know a Tefusang from a tria. Also, the rats that newer players most often need to kill to earn PP are conveniently located (read: not located in a smelly maze) and there often isn't too much competition from a bunch of other newbies lost in the sewers. Basically, I think Ojaveda gets a bad wrap. As time goes by, other races get their own towns, and Oja expands, I would think that any problem a person has with spawning in Oja will go away (or at least greatly diminish). So, stop being a bunch of shortsighted Hydlaa-centrists, just because they aren't as industrialized as Hydlaa doesn't mean they should be marginalized.

@Serq: Really, really, really, I'm not trying to pick on your posts (not that you seemed to mind, or care, or take any kind of offense).

@Waylander: Really, really, really, everything I said about your OOC book idea was typed with pure malice and should be taken with as much offense as possible.


P.S.
Oh, and since we're throwing points around... Serq, you get some Cool Points for being gutsy enough to quote your own post. While not to be done often, you pulled it off and I applaud you. (Disclaimer: Applause shown is for display purposes only. Actual applause may vary.)

Seems Waylander and I both give points for what we are... He is Waylander and therefore gives "Waylander Points." I am cool and therefore give "Cool Points."

*feels all warm and fuzzy inside whenever he gets the chance to bug Waylander in one way or another*

[Waylander]

Wasn't really my idea

And yes, I agree about the Oja point, it's not all bad.  But spawning in Hydlaa will keep all the really new players somewhat together is a good idea.

It's only for the first few spawns.

Love you, Marqy

(btw, the giving of points just makes you seem even more like the mini-me that you are )

[SerqFeht]

@Serq: Really, really, really, I'm not trying to pick on your posts (not that you seemed to mind, or care, or take any kind of offense).

I take extreme offense! It is amusing that we seem to be on the opposite ends of multible arguements.

Oh, and since we're throwing points around... Serq, you get some Cool Points for being gutsy enough to quote your own post. While not to be done often, you pulled it off and I applaud you.

Yay! Cool points! But I thought that the Hydlaa spawn was somewhat better than the guild idea at first, and 7 pages over 2 topics based on one point somewhat overshadowed it. And, with the common response I defend myself with now, "Who said it was mandatory?"

Go ahead, newbies! Choose whether you want to spawn in the newbie-oriented town, or some desert hell inhabited by various smithers and rogue campers that ignore you. Choose wisely!

And again, it's only the first few spawns so that they can orient themselves in the surprisingly large world. (And don't say it's linear. I still get lost walking occasionally from Hydlaa to Oja.)