New Player Knowledge..etc.

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nunnbt473
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New Player Knowledge..etc.

Post by nunnbt473 »

And other related things.Im sure the community as well as the Devs want a growing and ample community. They want new players to be welcome. The graphics have changed. The gear requirements. Entire scenarios and spell sets. Levels and skills. Yet the tutorial is still the same? Don't get me wrong, the game needed more end/late game items..etc. But they have a new scenario now. The best thing about this game was always the community, if you want the vets to have a community to come back/into, youll need players.

I won't say the new player I bumped into the other day knew nothing, but they really didn't have a clue on 'getting started'. With so many people flocking to alt 2 for all the benefits, it leaves very few to find (muchless train) the newer players.

IMHO a few things would help attract new players.

First and foremost, getting started. If I can't learn how to play the game I likely will stay less than 3 days. Many people I know won't play it more than once. HIDE THE STAIRS. Change a gold title to a gold doormat that says STAND HERE and make the text alternate red-blue so they notice it. Don't encourage them to wander out into the world without doing the tutorial. (Here kid, heres a fireball, a sword and an arrow, good luck!) Or even remove them all together. Yes its annoying for vets, but new comer understanding > 30 second annoyance. Or just start characters who have been through the tutorial at least 4 times on an account (or a reroll) in SF. Whatever.

Make them do things. Place a pile of 'starter weapons' on the floor and make it like slicer. Door doesnt open until they stand in front of it with the weapon in the PROPER hand. Make them tan a sheep into a wool cloak.. something. Make them slay a dust bunny with a weapon and a second one with a spell. Anything to teach them gear, level, attacking, basic spells (such as picking up a fireball twig or a succor twig or protstun and casting it).

Same goes for survival: If I feel like I can't even find a starter dungeon easily and grow/start playing the game, it feels disconnected and uninteresting and poorly constructed. The same goes for dying too easily. New players need to start out with a better chance of survival. Maybe until level 3 or 24 full hours ingame they get a heal potions that never runs out. Maybe they can click a button and a red path lights up leading them to last chance. Maybe a macro icon to open up a nork map showing them trainers, bank, starter dungeon..etc.

Before they ever get to the game though, they have to decide on it. There are some good shots in there, but they don't show off a lot of aspects of the game. Or some of its diversity. Ok first 4ish picks good. Main town, loot, dungeon boss looking guy, snow, ninja cave. Towards the end though, its all the same player. Its showing the whole map and not with line of sight restrictions. Many of the later ones are the same person. Same macro bar. Same sex. Same class. N10 makes it look like just another town. Maybe make that tiny class a thief and a dwarf a barbarian and splice some stuff together to show off the classes. Talk about the dozens of skills available for every class. And a small annoyance, since the pictures dont pop up on mouse over etc.. if I want to look at all of them quickly I cant just ctrl click because of the java script.

Show a map of N-3.5, talk about dungeons so big you could get lost for days. Show a dragon freaking EATTING someone. Show a big hunt of people screaming HEAL ME! Dont use poison on him! I need psi mirror quick! This is an adventure, not Martha Stuarts summer town. And while we are at it, get a few 30 second clips of people running through town or a dragon firebreathing someone with a death scream and the whole thing going black and saying WELCOME ADVENTURER! Get a screenshot of the community chatting (I mean if you can CC the lobby people long enough to hold a full conversation, something PG of course).

Edit: Speaking of the chat. Its dead which is having a community wide effect. Its dead because everyone has been on mirc for a coon's age now. If the chat channels arn't enough to bring them back, then turn the lobby/game server into a private irc server with logins based on account login info. A good game requires players. Players require community. A community needs communication, or in this case.. a chat. An IRC chat apparently (who knew? Actually I wouldn't have expected that at random guess)... who chat ..

Show the game as we know it. Heck, maybe even add in a midi or two of scrolling through the forest asking your buddy/checking gear when a giant comes out of nowhere and spoils the serene moment. Make a video to some mozart or a christmas special. Do a remix to SALIVA - Click Click Boom and show 2 bosses die them BAM you get revenge and a dragon dies.

PUMP UP THE EXCITEMENT
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Just say no to fate cards.

JadeAmber
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 4:59 pm

Re: New Player Knowledge..etc.

Post by JadeAmber »

I love that you have ideas to fix Drakkar's reduced player base. The "Drakkar is going to die" thread was first started in Nov 2011.

The reason the lobby chat is dead is two-fold: you need the side chats for hunts/skill parties and keeping the chat window "on top". If we were to solve the second, the veteran's are still going to be in their side chats. Because paying customers only get what they pay for when they are 'working'.

I don't think we need bells and whistles on the start up. I believe Brad needs to rethink his position on free players. If you have 20 free players in Nork, of course a few of them will go to a pay account.

As much as I have benefited from the grace of high level players (thank you), I don't know that it is good for free nork. Giving a handout does not build this community. The original gear restriction from Cob (from the perspective of growing the player base) would have been better continued with more advanced scenarios. That won't be a popular opinion.

Wolverine2
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Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 4:54 pm

Re: New Player Knowledge..etc.

Post by Wolverine2 »

I remember when I used to chat a ton in lobby 0... then got yelled at, being told by a sysop that channel 0 is meant only for new player help and sysop talks with players. That quickly switched me out of ever talking in lobby, even to new players. Wasn't allowed to have fun.

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Mars
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Re: New Player Knowledge..etc.

Post by Mars »

we do not limit chat in channel 0 unless it becomes out of hand.
In the past there were many chats that covered topics that are not allowed (drug use, alcohol, politics, personal lifestyles, etc).

If you want to chat, feel free.

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