MACRO: NEWBIE

[Bane]

THE PROBLEM

• New people lose interest in the game before they even get a taste of the game.
• The first remort is one of the longest/hardest/most boring time on here.
• New people have no sense of direction as to where to go after they finish the quest academy
• There has been a lot of changes done over the years and I don't think any one has really taken the time to look at how it affected new people starting out over all.
  

THE GOAL

• Making it easier for newbies to get started on here
• Bringing in a quest line for newbies that helps them explore the mud and point them in the right directions for not only leveling purposes but also finding equipment best suited to their class.

Reaching the Goals

A. Making it easier for newbies to get started on here

• 1.Removing unnecessary Equipment throughout the school, adjusting existing equipment, ,making it easier to find the preparation room, removing excess dropouts, and adding a reward for the maze-Kvetch!
• 2.Changing the casters starting out item to an about to not interfere with quest rewards found in the zone

   _{Partly Fixed, when new caster log in we get You can't wear a swirling magic cloak there and then it poofs.}
  

• 3. Diagnose and fix the Swirling Magic Cloak. Is it from wear location or from the creation code forcing the item elsewhere?
• 4. Have Lionel detect the player is a caster, then give them a weapon, and have him walk them through how to manifest it into a orb so that they have a weapon.

  _{Currently casters start with no weapon}
  

• 5.Discuss classes and what they first start out with Skills, Move, Mana.

   _{Rouge class ends up getting the skill kick, if they train it and then choose a class such as gypsy or thief, they lose this skill.
  
   Casters seem to run out of mana quite fast starting out, take into the consideration the lack of being able to train the spells up very high causes them to miss quite often and draining their mana alot of times before even getting to be able to fire off a spell.}
  

• 6. Add in a new quest in the medieval school to include a orb for a caster class starting with Gandalf, and Adjusting the squire to give a quest for his short sword and adjust stats to compare to the dagger you receive from cook.
• 7. Add in a small quest in future area for a reward that allows them to cast identify unlimited times up to a certain level. Or change the reward you get from finding out the captains name and killing him to this.
• 8. Removal of the newbie donation pit to avoid confusing newbies with what to wear.
• 9. Discussing how to make the Olive Branch reward more useful to all classes.

B. Bringing in a quest line for newbies that helps them explore the mud and point them in the right directions for not only leveling purposes but also finding equipment best suited to their class.

• 1. Discuss how we are going to put in the quest line
• 2. List items that are easily obtained for each class that would benefit them
• 3. Continue discussion of a quest log? Is this possible?
• 4. Listing areas for newbies
• 5. Discussion of creating new quest reward items for newbies to obtain during the quest line. These rewards would target more of the unique  harder spots to obtain equipment.

_{(Ex. Tail, Horns etc)}
[/list]



There is still quite a bit of stuff that still needs to be discussed here, Im sure I left out some other things that will come to my attention down the road. Also thanks to Kvetch and Molly for some of the changes that have already happened. I just felt like this needed a fresh thread.

[Bane]

Im pretty beat but I wanted to post a few ideas up here maybe we can talk about.

9. Discussing how to make the Olive Branch reward more useful to all classes.

I was thinking of making it into a hold item. And script it so that they receive double exp for their first remort. Make it so only brand new chars to can use this(isint there a flag that tells if they are brand new to mudding, or a oldbie on 4d) and no remorts. I wouldnt put a timer on this. Leave the I think its INN BLESS on it.

Or maybe make a formula where the exp bonus they gain dwindles slowly down till they hit level 50.

3. Diagnose and fix the Swirling Magic Cloak. Is it from wear location or from the creation code forcing the item elsewhere?

Pretty sure this is a coders problem, I do believe Kvetch said that its in the character creation code. My guess is she just edited the old item, and its trying to force a take about onto your eyes!

7. Add in a small quest in future area for a reward that allows them to cast identify unlimited times up to a certain level. Or change the reward you get from finding out the captains name and killing him to this.

Instead of adding a new quest into the future I would just change the reward for figuring out the captains name. Because currently the reward is a wand. I cant recall if its a teleport or a sleep wand.. but either way I would say its pretty useless to them.

Change it into a Tricorder if any of you are a star trek fan.

5.Discuss classes and what they first start out with Skills, Move, Mana.

I think something that might help would me adding a mana regen to the quest reward Gandalf will give casters. Kvetch has put in a move regen and hp regen I think already.


Other then that I think I got most of the stuff we was talking about in the other thread. I just wanted to reorganize it. But all in all this is a 10 in priority, and I dont even think i need to explain why.

Ill try to post some stuff tomorrow.

[Kvetch]

Im pretty beat but I wanted to post a few ideas up here maybe we can talk about.

3. Diagnose and fix the Swirling Magic Cloak. Is it from wear location or from the creation code forcing the item elsewhere?

Pretty sure this is a coders problem, I do believe Kvetch said that its in the character creation code. My guess is she just edited the old item, and its trying to force a take about onto your eyes!

Ok, I created a caster to see what this was about (fyi: I don't remember dealing with the magic cloak before) and it gave me this message:
You wear a sub issue helmet on your head.
You light a lantern and hold it.
You can't wear a swirling magic cloak there.

My current eq:
<worn on head>         a sub issue helmet
<used as light>        a lantern

My inventory:
( 3) a cloudy purple potion
a mini-quest leaflet
a very important note
a flaming red feather
a traveller's backpack

So, yes, the cloak poofs.  So.. check it out with the IMM and this is what the cloak’s info is:

Name: 'a swirling magic cloak', Aliases: cloak swirling magic
Material: [base-material] VNum: [ 3186], RNum: [ 1524], Type: armor, IDNum: 3404975, SpecProc: None
Timer: -1 mud hours. Expires in: Timer hasn't been started yet!
L-Des: A swirling magic cloak has been dropped here.
Extra descs: [cloak magic swirling]
Can be worn on: TAKE ABOUT
Set char bits : NOBITS
Extra flags   : undonateable melt-on-drop
Weight: 1, Value: 0, Cost/day: 0, Timer: -1, Min level: 0
In room: Nowhere, In object: None, Carried by: Kvetch, Worn by: Nobody
, In Locker: Nobody
AC-apply: [1]
Affections: +1 to Wisdom, -1 to Spell Defence
Script information:
  None.

So, it is an about item, but I don’t have anything in my about spot…
Load the cloak and give it to the newbie, type wear all and I’m able to wear it about my body.  So, it has to be in the code when loading the new character as there is no script in this room which is the first room newbies load into.  It would make sense that the cloak used to be for another spot and the code has the newbie try to wear the cloak in the old spot, which of course can’t be done.  Can a coder look into this and fix please?

[Bane]

Thotter fixed it, will be in next reboot.

If an Imm can edit my post and cross out A number 2 and 3.

on a side note is there any way to enable forum users to edit their post after the time limit is up? Currently I think after 10-30 mins a reg forum user can no longer edit his post.

[Diandra]

on a side note is there any way to enable forum users to edit their post after the time limit is up? Currently I think after 10-30 mins a reg forum user can no longer edit his post.

If someone has read a post and the original poster edits it to something totally different the day after, people who have read the original post won't know if it has been edited and it will be cause for confusion. So it stays as it is. Even if in your case it would be more convenient.

Of course you could copy your post and cross out the numbers yourself and repost. This way, you'll also know something has been done and the thread receives a bump as they say. ;-)

[Molly]

B. Bringing in a quest line for newbies that helps them explore the mud and point them in the right directions for not only leveling purposes but also finding equipment best suited to their class.

• 1. Discuss how we are going to put in the quest line
• 2. List items that are easily obtained for each class that would benefit them
• 3. Continue discussion of a quest log? Is this possible?

1 and 2. A questline for newbies, bringing them to suitable zones, is a good idea. Maybe several players should work together on that, providing suggestions of zones and good items.


3. I actually already have a prototype for a quest journal done, and it's working for the first twenty quests on the questcard list. I'll add the five last on the list too, to get a test on multistep quests, then I'll launch a preview for you guys to test.

It will take me quite some time to add all of the 105 quests to the journal, but with the holidays over and the new puppy settling in, I'll probably get more time and inclination to work on the mud now.

At least I will concentrate on it once I get once to fix the bloody ordinary maps first.

All the ideas on your lists are actually good, and with some cooperation from coders and builders we should probably be able to get through the list eventually. Just don't expect it to happen overnight. .

[Kvetch]

• 7. Add in a small quest in future area for a reward that allows them to cast identify unlimited times up to a certain level. Or change the reward you get from finding out the captains name and killing him to this.

I'm thinking that the reward should be for those that actually figure out the captains name.  Killing him without knowing his name is too easy as I believe they're given a staff of earthquake in the medieval era.  So, my thought is if they say something like "may the force be with you, <Captain's name>" he should give them the item.

[Bane]

@Kvetch Agreed

Honestly I never thought about using the earthquake staff in there .

[Once]

Hey guys,

I'm seeing a bit of a different approach that I think we should be taking here. You guys are throwing out a lot of good ideas on their own, but we're missing the framework with which to create the ideas. How I think we should be approaching the newbie question is:


What elements of gameplay do newbies need to learn to be effective at 4d?


Here's some of my thoughts, I'd like to get yours as well so we can start forming actions:


1) How to Fight
2) How to use Heals
3) How to use extra attacks (bash, etc)
4) Which spells to use (if they're a caster)
5) Where to train
6) Where to level (most people have problems with this at first)
7) How to get good gear
Which skills to focus on at first
9) Which potions they need to be buying
10) How they can get sanct / bless from the healer
11) How to do various questing activities (this is mostly covered already)
12) What tokens are good for
13) Anything else?


Basically we want to address all the areas that we might normally teach a newbie if we met them one on one, and then have an automated platform that makes it easy for them to learn those facets of the MUD. Currently, I think we're weak on a lot of these. I see newbies wander around with shit gear, without the right skills, not knowing what are heals, or how to get sanct, etc.

I think our newbie school right now is basically good only for teaching questing and that's part of why the MUD doesn't see a lot of new life because since the pwipe combat and grinding have become incrementally more important but you're not really guided through any of that.


-Once

[Bane]

6) Where to level (most people have problems with this at first)
9) Which potions they need to be buying
10) How they can get sanct / bless from the healer
11) How to do various questing activities (this is mostly covered already)
5) Where to train
7) How to get good gear

Those right there I was going to have covered during the quest line. My ideal plan is to make them have to seek out the shop keepers in Old Yorke and in the recall area, which will be showing them where to get some other equipment, Sanc pot, Detect invis potions, scrolls, the healer, joanie, quest machine, bart, etc. Then afterwards leveling spots will be introduced to them through the quest line. Ill try to get a outline of this up soon. But you are right they need shown this.


But as far as :

1) How to Fight
2) How to use Heals
11) How to do various questing activities (this is mostly covered already)
12) What tokens are good for

These are mostly covered in the school..

So it breaks down to we need to figure out how to help them learn what skills to train and how to use them? Honestly most skills they get at first they fail majority of the time anyways..

[Bane]

Something else to add on skills and spells.. Maybe giving fighter/rouge class the skill Punch and a equivalent to casters that's already trained up to 50%? Be a weak combat skill they can use right off the bat. Could have Lionel give it to them, and show them how to use it?