ExE
Bonebreaker
Posts: 63
|
Post by ExE on Apr 9, 2011 9:15:15 GMT
Hello Ladies and Gentlemen!
I have been assigned a most difficult task. A newbie guide to be posted to the ancient anguish website. So many of you are much better players than I, so I am seeking your input on things I should include in this guide. Obviously, the guide will touch on things such as, how to log in, create a race, interact and move around the world and things to go do to get your character established. I know that there are many resources here with alot of good information but we need something for the AA website itself. So, what say you? What should be included? What should not be included?
Exe
|
|
|
Post by Gromlakh on Apr 10, 2011 4:35:30 GMT
If only some enterprising Halfduck had already created one a few years back...oh wait...
|
|
ExE
Bonebreaker
Posts: 63
|
Post by ExE on Apr 11, 2011 0:01:29 GMT
I know he created one, I've read it and plan to make mention of the several excellent guides available online here...Serin also made a newbie guide that is pretty good. I was asked to write one to go on the website...so my aim is to create a very basic one to get total novices going and then point to them to more detailed guides like daffy's for detailed info. I was just wondering what you guys thought were the absolute essential things a total novice should know. What I thought of so far are: Movement Communication Shops/Basic equipment Healing Class halls
Since we don't have near the number of players we used to to help teach newbies my aim is try and get them pointed in the right direction quickly....while giving them the resources (daffys quide for example) to help them progress. My aim is NOT to spoonfeed them the whole game.
|
|
squat
Bonebreaker
Posts: 33
|
Post by squat on Apr 11, 2011 10:36:39 GMT
Honestly the newbie guides isnt the issue here IMO. It's all the new players that join wanting to immediately jump into the game and slay dragons for uniques and massive treasure.
Has nothing to do with spoonfeeding anything, but if you really want to get noobies hooked on something that was state of the art in 1982, you have to show them why the game is fun.
Problems the way I see it: New players are impatient(regardless of age, maturity, etc), they join to try it out. Some have a longer attention span than others, but eventually they will all get bored. When you first start the game it absolutely sucks. For god's sake you can't even kill a fuzzy bunny. Im not saying the game itself needs to be redone, but you have to show the new players what the game is like once you reach a higher level.
I first got hooked after I got to join my first party at level 14 and a guy tanked for me and we made almost 40k experience in an hour each!!! I wanted to be just as strong as him so I played more and more and eventually got hooked.
It needs to be drilled into new players' heads: 1) You need to be patient and learn the game at your own pace(otherwise they arent cut out for a MUD anyway) 2) The game play changes significantly around level 6-8 and again around level 16-19(even again around level 30 perhaps).
There's more than enough info about AA to go around if a little searching and question asking is done, its more a matter of people being put off by the initial learning process.
If I still had time to play the game I would finish wizzing my alt and add in a newbie quest to show the games potential, like a trailer when you first join and select new to mudding or new to AA. Hell it would be easy as hell to program because you wouldnt even have to add hardly any enviroment, just a few heroes who chat with you and cast spells, heal you, fight etc. You just go on a quick journey with them and fight some monster or something and become a hero, then you wake up at the Inn and realize it was all a dream. Alas...
|
|
|
Post by Gromlakh on Apr 12, 2011 4:44:30 GMT
+1 for the newbie quest. That would help a hell of a lot more than a FAQ. You can read it all you want, but it's not going to make any sense until you actually DO it.
Back when I started playing MUDs for the first time (96/97-ish), I experimented with a whole bunch of different ones. Ultimately I settled on AA, but there were a lot of them that used a "newbie quest/instruction" area to teach new characters the basic mechanics of the MUD. On AA, this could easily be implemented in a similar way to the "newbie card" (also Halfduck, IIRC). If a player upon character creation IDs themselves as "new to MUDs" or "played MUDs but new to AA", they wouldn't start at the firepit. Toss them into a totally different area, like a stadium or something. Maybe, direction-wise, something like the Drin training area, where you can only move in one direction.
Then have the room descriptions teach newbies about basic mechanics, like suggestions to "look" at some particular thing in the room for a small exp boost, etc. Move a room, get told to "take" a weapon and "wield" it for another one, armour in the next room, then kill something super easy, then a quickie discussion of heals, etc. Newbies finish, and they have enough exp to raise some stats and maybe a level.
I believe this has been proposed several times, but like most good ideas, has not been implemented.
|
|
ExE
Bonebreaker
Posts: 63
|
Post by ExE on Apr 13, 2011 4:28:18 GMT
Thank you guys for your feedback, I've been discussing issues such as the ones you guys touched on with a few higher ups...I would be interested in coming up with a quest/instruction routine for first timers. I definitely agree that starting the game is pretty boring. I had brought up the idea of offering a bonus for new players, perhaps some cash to help start players, perhaps offering an XP boost when you complete the newbie quest to help get your stats rolling...etc. I like the idea of the quest teaching you to look, move etc. I will talk to a few people about this idea and see if I can get it off the ground. If you guys have any other good brainstorming idea please feel free to drop me a line on the mud or here or post in this thread. I definitely think a newbie quest is a great idea, no matter whos it was.
|
|
|
Post by sixclaw on Apr 13, 2011 5:38:10 GMT
There is a newbie tutorial and it does a pretty good job at the basics (reading room descriptions, equiping items, killing monsters, etc) and even gives you some nice starter items (mapkit, newbie guide, a card with some helpful commands, and a magic stone). If that process could be expanded, streamlined, and improved.. that'd be a million times better than a newbie guide.
Another pretty awesome feature about the newbie tutorial is the items it gives you stay through logout.
However, I do agree with some of the comments that AA is very slow to start off. The MUD in general could really use a big overhaul in how low level characters (not necessarily new characters) progress and grow.
|
|
|
Post by tymbir on Apr 20, 2011 19:42:21 GMT
And on completion of the newbie intro, or maybe even as part of it, point them to the CX runs to help then learn their way around Tant and all of AA.
|
|
|
Post by Blain20 on Apr 27, 2011 22:43:30 GMT
I believe this has been proposed several times, but like most good ideas, has not been implemented. Create a new character sometime and select #4 I think. I think it was Daffy that put in the starter area years ago.
|
|
|
Post by Gromlakh on Apr 28, 2011 0:58:51 GMT
I stand corrected. I checked it out, I'd say it's pretty good. I could see adding a couple of things to it, but on the whole it's pretty badass.
Option #1, BTW. Option #4 is for new players who don't want any newbie help.
|
|
|
Post by Blain20 on May 15, 2011 1:19:26 GMT
That'll show you how long it's been since I made a new character!
|
|