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How to Actually Help Newbs (by level)

 
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Vevier
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Joined: 23 Jul 2008
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Location: everywhere

PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 5:07 am    Post subject: How to Actually Help Newbs (by level)

It can be difficult to know how to help newbs enough to keep them interested in the game without feeling like they need to be walked through certain tasks. We have a lot of tools that we have created to help newbs and the following sets of advice are focused on the mechanics we’ve put into the game to help new players compensate for not knowing anything and what you can do as a player to actually help newbs learn how to play the game. Teach a newb to fish, they say.

This guide brought to you by Vanisse and Vevier.

All Levels:
* As often as possible, try to interact in character. Outside of a general welcome to the game and encouragement to ask for help when needed, you should also teach newbs to locate alignment-appropriate allies. We have a set list of titles so that people likes healers and clerics stick out against the dark knights and shamans. Shamen. Shamens. (Also, for spellcasters, suggest know alignment so they don’t go around accidentally offending people.)

* Newbie chat should not be used to joke around. Don’t shut a newb down if they say hi and want to know if anyone is around, but make it clear that the channel is for help. Always interact in character if possible.

* It’s perfectly acceptable to use newbie chat to walk a newb to a known location, then show up to help them in character. Tell them in character why a certain skill is right for the job at hand, then when it comes time to explain how to type a command, that’s when you switch to newbie chat.

* AR has had a lot of innovation in our role-playing department, if you see a newb doing something like emote before they cast a spell, feel free to tell them about ecast. Or even better, ecast a cool spell right in front of them!

* Always maintain your standard of roleplay. Don’t get caught up in teaching a newb the right way to play the game. You should be roleplaying at all times, so if you give a biased opinion, as long as your answer is right, then you’re helping newbs. For example, a good-aligned character shouldn’t send a neutral or evil player to Emerald. They would send everyone (even neutrals) to the Mansion so they’re murdering undead and not innocent nymphs.

* If appropriate, develop aspirations for the new character. Nothing makes a newb feel more welcome than to hear that the character they’ve come in with is going to be a good fit in the world.

* Use your best judgment when helping a newb. No one needs to learn all the skills at once. They’ll tell you what they want to be doing by what questions they ask, so encourage them to develop skills appropriate to that goal.

* Never rush a new player. If they have questions, or they are confused, step back and help them out. They aren’t going to stay because they got the most success out of their time, they’re going to stay if they feel like this is a game they can master. Newbs know they have a lot to learn and we should let them learn at their pace.

* Always always try to have fun when you’re helping a new player. Tell jokes or get drunk or do whatever your character does. When it’s fun, they barely notice all the learning.

* Introduce them to some of the stuff that makes AR unique! In addition to the innovative combat system, there are also quests, secrets and nexus travel. The latter is a good way to introduce them to new cities - just take them through once and let them get to know the area for themselves.

* Talk to them about the areas they’re in so they get a feel for what they’re doing and it’s not all walls of damage text. We have a few limited stock areas and many original ones, and other stock areas that have been enhanced considerably.

* Never discourage them because they died. Show them how to get back on their feet and how to find their bodies. Ask them if they know what they did wrong and give them advice on how to do it right.
Level 1-5:
* Welcome newbs to the game, if they’re radio-silent, you can newbie chat instructions on how to actually use newbie chat.

* ...but don’t greet newbs right after creation. We’ve written an introductory quest that should take them a few minutes to get through. Let them get their feet wet before we tackle them with all our helpfulness. They need to try to interact before they know what they need help with. (10-15 minutes)

* Help them complete the quests in newbie school. (Currently two quests, rescue the animator and kill some of the denizens)

* Encourage them to complete their first set!

* Show them to their guildhalls and teach them how to TRACK their quests

* Newbs need to know about WHERE

* Make it clear that newbie chat is their only OOC channel, and then put that into practice by using other channels in character.

* Don’t handhold them unless they really seem to need it. It can often be enough to point them the right way and let them try stuff on their own.

* Feel free to make a character just to test out the newbie school every once in awhile. We’re constantly updating it based on feedback from our players.

Level 5-15:
* Time to write your desc. We have good helpfiles on this, so just point them to the helpfiles and give them pointers if they look stuck (like their desc reads “Bob is here. Look Look Look Where Who How do i get out of this”)

* Time to enter the real world...hunger sucks. Buy supplies! Teach good supply locations, and stuff like cooking and eating body parts. (Gross. Maybe play down how common it is to shove legs in your face on this game.)

* Be aware of PKs starting to happen. Introduce them to purple potions (Tir, Cavan quests). Tell them to constantly check who/where and teach them where to obtain detects.

* Buy your first pet and hire your first merc! Teach them the flexibility for ranking solo, with a group of 2, or a group of 3.

* This is the recommended minimum level for beginning to explore the major cities away from hometown/Serin, and learning to adventure without dying too much (or running out of mv). Keep *recall potions* on hand at all times.

* Training at dummies/earning currency with cabals and coteries. Learn what you can buy with cabal currencies.

* Don’t run newbs around like crazy. Follow THEM and help them get where they’re going with WHERE <creature> or more general directions like follow the eastern road all the way east.

* Help to orient newbs to where they are by explaining things like “We are in the Common, which is just south of Seringale. That’s where your Guildhall is. From here, we go south and east to reach the Goblin Village.”

* Teach them that leaving an area is how they get to safety if they’ve aggroed something too tough for them. (And remind them that it’s gonna be there waiting for them, too.)

Level 15-25:
* Here’s where you should be building your character’s reputation in Serin at low ranks with your ranking group.

* This is also a good range to learn about cabals and coteries, scouting out potential careers for your character, contacting the organizations of interest and getting them interested in you.

* This is also a great time to start scouting for a religion, if you haven’t chosen one already and especially if you are interested in a cabal.

* Teach newbs about potential issues with ranking past a required level and the NOEXP command.

* Writing background. Actually I would personally recommend this earlier (e.g. at same time as desc writing) but it’s fine to intro here cause cabal applications

* Training your masteries at dummies

* Learning your way around well, and other PK stuff like consumables, for quizzes during cabal interviews

Level 25-42:
* Ranking, training, and practicing how to PK and getting used to all your spells and skills

* Continue to develop your character’s trajectory. Make friends. Make enemies. Have fun.

* There are a lot of tricks that get unlocked here (invokers suddenly becoming tanks, for instance). If you’re familiar with a newb, teach them their tricks, especially if you are the same guild or cabal.

* Encourage your own roleplay as a mentor or as a friend.

* If you’re PKing, you can help newbs by roleplaying with them before or afterwards (or during if you’re really good!). Dying is part of the game and so is having a reason to kill someone. Show them that we’re more than the next Call of Duty with wands.

* When you are interviewing applicants, ask them about something practical and then something that’s based in roleplay. Don’t forget who your character is because it’s an interview and you need to check off some boxes.

* Encourage them to have done some exploration and find new things in addition to learning their skills.

Level 42-50:
* More PK, arguably the “balanced intended PK” for your class.

* The gauntlet of not so doomish doom.

* Establishing your char in Serin and creating a legacy.

* Paying it forward by helping newbs as a mentor.

* Encourage choices from new players. Do they want to join a coterie? Become a noble? Which God do you want to follow and why?

//

Powerranking: the double edged sword

Powerranking is often seen by vets as a way they can help out someone who’s just new to the game and get them past those lonely, boring early ranks and up to a rank where they can really have some fun. That’s great that you guys have this kind of sentiment and the willingness and initiative to go and help out. However, here are some reasons why powerranking might not be as great as you think for <NEW> folks:

* A new player may have little to no familiarity with skills, spells, areas, consumables or basically anything that will let them survive in a PK situation, and you’ve ranked them squarely into open season range.

* They have had no time to get to know anyone. Typically powerranking is super efficient and that means generally little to no speaking and just getting whisked around, seeing xp and ranks and damage whiz by. It can be quite overwhelming. Ranking is a great way to build a character’s social network and also establish your RP, especially at earlier levels. This is not possible if you are suddenly level 20-25 in an hour without realizing what happened.

* Ranking at your appropriate level is where you can really test and even train the skills and spells that you learn at every stage. Powerranking suddenly nets you 10, 20 new skills/spells that a <NEW> guy will have absolutely no clue what to do with. Lightning fast rounds means no time to read up on those helpfiles (or even look at your rapidly growing practice list, if <NEW> guy is even aware to look at it). Moreover your attempts to use those skills/spells might not be effective at all, since the one who’s carrying the group is doing all the tanking on a mob that is out of everyone else’s feasible range, and they’re probably outdamaging the <NEW> guy by orders of magnitude while he/she is still in sub-issue and a training dagger.

* Past rank 10: Imms will get on their case about not having descriptions, which they had no time to do but now they are way past the level 10 limit.

* Past rank 25: Cabal leaders will get on their case about not staying at level 25. Actually I think cabal applications might still have a hardcoded cap of when you can send them, so that would complicate matters for everybody.

Here are some tips on how to powerrank a <NEW> player in a more helpful fashion:

1. While you’re running around, ask the guy(s) you’re leading how familiar they are with the game. Scout them out a little.

2. Encourage RP by sharing a bit of your own character’s RP. If you’re in a cabal, talk about the cabal, and things that have been happening in the realms that might hook them into joining in the fun. Keep an eye out on them after the ranking’s over - check in on them every once in awhile, ask them how they’re doing. After all, you might be the first person they even met in the game and you certainly had a great impression on them.

3. If you’re a similar guild, you can talk about the new skills they are gaining, suggest key ones they should make sure to learn. Also, depending on their response to 1., check to see if they know about keeping up detects and checking who/where, cause it is far too easy to lapse into passive mode while someone is carrying you everywhere and doing all the work.

4. At rank 10, PAUSE and tell them to get their description done. Point them to help desc. OR, do not pick them up until they have reached rank 10 and have their desc. Really new players can learn a lot by following the scripts we’ve built to teach them the basics, so level 10 is when you can do the most good to them.

5. At rank 25, PAUSE and tell them this is the time at which they might need to send in applications to cabals, if any interest them. You can talk about the cabals, or just point them at helpfiles. But don’t rank them past that unless they are sure they don’t want to be in a cabal.

To summarize: Don’t be completely silent when you powerrank a newbie. Communicate! There is so much AR can offer in addition to hunting monsters, and the more they are aware of this the more likely they’ll stick around. You should take the time when you’re resting between rounds to get to know your fellow players and if they’re new, to teach them anything they need to know.

There are a lot of muds out there and the playerbase for all of us is dwindling. When people come to AR, it’s because they’ve chosen a mud that is Roleplaying Enforced and Playerkilling Encouraged. Give them the AR experience by always roleplaying and encouraging competency in PK.
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DigitalText



Joined: 29 Jun 2016
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 9:39 am    Post subject:

*whistle*
+10 to the 40th power.
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Vanisse
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Joined: 06 Jan 2006
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 4:08 pm    Post subject:

formatted a bit. *cough*
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