Make Planeshift easier to play?

[Rigwyn]

It would be more on good faith.. that's sad if veteran players would do that.

[thalaric]

When you are in this sort of dire predicament, and another player comes along and heals your character, gives you a new short sword and a few tips on how to advance.... [snip] you suddenly start to bond with that player.

The problem is you can't make a game predicated on the charity of more advanced players. There is no sane way to assure that aid swoops in before they log off forever. Practicalities aside, I don't even agree with the premise, that newbies should be rendered helpless then exploited for the enjoyment of higher level chars. What stops you from talking to the newb before he was destitute and needed your help?

People will roleplay when they feel confident enough to engage with the characters around them, which will be faster if the system isn't busy kicking their ass. Sorry, but I keep hearing RP answers to technical problems.

[Zalya]

There is a reason why I haven't trained any skills in months. At this point the only reason I'm still around is the Role play aspect. I would love to see some better mechanics though. I agree completely on how hard it is to start a new character. In fact I have a friend who started playing, but was completely derailed when the rats in the tutorial started to chase him in circles (He took a video of it too). The fact that a rat chases you around is... Well its honestly just very frustrating.

Like so many others playing now, I don't know why I kept going. I'm glad I did though. Since then I've tried to train a little bit, but its taken hours to get to the point where I'm 'A mediocre fighter who is intelligent as a stone'. So after a little combat training being boring and time consuming, I decided that I would rank up more job skills instead. It takes more then 100 fish to rank up from fishing level 7 to level 8. Even after I find a good place, and just hit a shortcut over and over again, it takes at least an hour. Its just not fun.

If I wasn't drawn into Roleplay early, then I wouldn't have been around for very long at all. The trouble is that some people want to play a character who is half way decent at breathing, and want to be able to have the in game stats to show that. Yet, every one who comes to Hydlaa for the first time is a squishy, unintelligent bit of rat food. 

That being said, I love Planeshift. I want to see it grow, And I don't think it will until this is fixed. Right now there is a very definite training bell curve. Its just upside down. I humbly suggest for the growth of the game, and community that has been there for me so many times that:

• New characters to start out with more skills, in specialized areas based on background. I think that 20 points in a few skills, and base stats at 100 that the game would be much more fun
• The training bell curve to be reversed, where its easy to get PP at low skill levels, and harder at higher
• That the prices for items are returned to the original tria guide (Mugs of beer for 2 tria, 50q long swords at 35, etc.)
• And that Roleplay be easy to access for everyone. This needs to be done by the players though. I've tried to do my part and talk to a few new players, and even give them some stuff to start out with, but more needs to be done. If the great roleplay community can band together and get the ball rolling with even the smallest "Oh hi there what are you making at the forge?" then the game can be so much better.

I have lots of hope for Planeshift. It has the potential to be great. But things have to change first. Thanks to all who contribute

Also... If you want some less shady work to start out with, check out the Stonehead. We're always looking for new members http://stoneheadps.freeforums.org/index.php

[Eonwind]

I agree with your point of view thalaric: the game needs some improvement in the first 10-20 hours of gameplay.
RP is good and helpful for new players. I help new players too when I can, and when I was a newbie I was helped and I'm still grateful for that, but please consider that it is also possible that there can be not many players around when a newbie begins (for example due to different timezones some hours lack many players).

[Mask]

It would be more on good faith.. that's sad if veteran players would do that.

Why would? Arguably, it would be muling if you use another of your characters  to push your new one - and you only do the tutorial once per account (unless you delete all characters).

Not all new players use to forums, so a presence list would be superflous. And unless mechanics are done and balanced, this game will not get any easier in the beginning.

[Tlok]

The problem is you can't make a game predicated on the charity of more advanced players. <snip> Practicalities aside, I don't even agree with the premise, that newbies should be rendered helpless then exploited for the enjoyment of higher level chars. <snip>

Really well said, and I'd like to add support from a different angle - think about why people play games in the first place. While S&M clubs prove that a percentage of the population enjoys being in a submissive or dependent role, the majority of people do not and will not come play a game that forces them into that role. They come to FRPGs to be heroes (or powerful villains), to be the ones helpless townspeople come to for salvation or mercy.

People will roleplay when they feel confident enough to engage with the characters around them, which will be faster if the system isn't busy kicking their ass. Sorry, but I keep hearing RP answers to technical problems.

Exactly this. People want to play on an equal footing with their peers, not as lackeys or charity cases. Let them come up to speed before you make them merge with traffic.

Making new players depend on established players may shorten the time it takes some of those players to get acclimated, but it will drive many more away. And the ones whose acclimation period is shortened likely would have become acclimated very nearly as quickly if the game simply encouraged and reminded rather than required interaction with established players. So this forced dependency seems like an approach with slim profits and huge losses for new players, yet it appears, on the forums anyway, to be widely espoused.

And I'd like to remind the developers that a potential player evaluating the game will have access to the forums but not to resources like the "meet the devs in the guildhall" events, so even if you're clear about your goals there it's worth posting summaries or reminders here.

Thank you,
Tlok

[Talad]

Hi,
I agree with the issue of one-eyed rats in tutorial, I've reviewed their stats and made those quite easier to defeat. They now have 15 HP instead of 60 and their melee skill is reduced. I tested with two different characters, one very low in physical stats and lemur, another high in physical stats and kran. Obviously with the kran is no match, but I think that's ok. This change is effective as soon as the server restarts (30 minutes from now).

The other comments in this thread a too generic.

I will move this thread to the "granted wishes" section, but feel free to open another with some "specific" points you want to see improved in the first 10-20 hours of gameplay. The more specific is the request, the easier to have it implemented.