Development Cycle Archive
Thread: Publish 8 Testing Feedback: Enhanced New Player Experience
Forgot to add something, when you get incap the droid will stop folowing you after you recover, you need to store and call it again
THanx )))
Kormath on TestCenter
SWG-Runesabre wrote:
In response to many players' suggestions to change the starting city away from Coronet due to the lag as well as deciding to choose a decidedly more iconic Star Wars city as the first visual impression for starting players, we have decided to change the starting city to Mos Eisley. Thank you all for your input!
Thats a good idea and all but may i suggest their first trip off world somehow be recommended to goto either Theed or Coronet and also making that ticket purchase free for new users? its lame that 250 credits (unless this is changed) won't even buy you a pair of pants....
Ace2 wrote:
Putting them in lag city (corronet) might not be such a great idea, the lagmonster will scare them away lol.
I think this is a GREAT thing to do, for three reasons:
1) New players won't be overwhelmed by the mass amounts of spam and craziness happening in Coronet
2) New players are still only one starship hop away from many major areas (Theed, Coronet, Bestine, and even Lok)
3) This will rekindle the population of Mos Eisley which I feel has really dwindled since the introduction of player cities. This city may be a fun place to head to yet again. 
No - I don't like it one bit and it defeats the hard work I do recruiting new players to our player city. Actually - it's even going to make it more difficult as we're on Rori and an gives an upperhand advantage toward these "other, selected or bigger cities" and makes it difficult for smaller cities trying to grow. Older players are already established, joined a city or guild. Some are hardcore faction/pvp oriented or what "Elites" only. Smaller cities rely on new players for grow -DON'T TAKE THEM AWAY FROM US.
We[city builders/mayors]go togreat lengths to build player cities, recruit, train, provide additional contend and keep citizens active and participating.We are the ones helping to keep them away from Theed/Coronet or other lag cities.
As for the other "gimmies", I don't think you want to overburden the new user with tons of info on harvesters, mounts, pets, droids.....
I kinda like the "helper droid" idea. Take it out and say "I want to learn about harvesters and poff: Harvesters are available in BER (Base Extract Rates) 1 - 14, the higher being better but more costly. You can place them by....You can redeed them by....
I only like this because I seldom use the Holocron as it's much like help files. I want to be able to find information easily without knowing the whole history. BUT - if we have a game that'sjust makes it too easy - who's gonna like it because no one thinks anymore....just keep those in mind.
Except when they read the forums and read how jaded players rip into newbies... that's not the most thrilling thing to see, and turns people away, but not much can be done about that, I guess.
Flame away....but this is how I feel.
Mi'ammotoi
I love this Idea!
I had my first opportunity to test it out last night and enjoyed having the little driod along to help me out.
However there were 2 things I disliked.
FIrst off the starting city. Mos Eisley is a great place. But I had wanted to go to Corellia. I believe that you are removing some of the Star Wars experience by removing the city option. It is not fair to the player. I myself started in Doaba Guerfel my first time out, and yes I was alone. I was lucky enough to pick up entertainer and be told to travel the planet like crazy though. No matter how much of a drag that was I did eventually meet people and Find out about the hot spots on my own. It would have been nice to have started in somewhere more populated though, like Tyrena or Kor Vela. But But I enjoyed it. I liked being able to ask the Imperial Officer to drop me where I wanted.
Second Issue: Alone. Even with the droid the new player is Alone. That was I think one of the worst things that happened to me was being alone. Recently I have had the opportunity to help new players get started. I will explain everything that I did.
My character on Bria is a Fencer/CH/Dancer. Finishing a hunt on Dant I picked up some lesser plains bols and decided to sell them back on Corellia for 2k each. I got lots of offers, but those who need mounts are the new players so they weremy customers. They came to me I think because my price severly undercuts the current price of motor vehicles. As an alternate price I asked the player to get some combat skill and come hunting with me. If they did they got a free mount, money from the missions and lots of experience that they could not have gotten alone. Not only that I taught them a few tricks to attacking lairs so that they don't get swarmed, or tapping a lair. Both parties found this to be a rewarding experience. We both got lots of creds, lots of xp, and a friend.
The new system is very much like what I did, but with a droid instead. I propose that something be added to the droid, and that a new "player helper type" be established.
First the new player type and how it can be implimented. Helper is a great title. It tells everyone that you are willing to help new players get some of the things they need. I would ask that there be a player that does more than have a title above his or her head: the trainer. This is a helper that is recognized by the server as someone the new player can be paired with for the first few missions of his or her gaming experience. It is also not a title that can be just chosen. Players must prove that they can "train" a player in the world of Star Wars. Some prerequisets for the title could be knowledge of chosen professions and waypoints to elite trainers as well as the basic professions. The prospective trainer could be asked to register in one of the capital cities (Coronet, Bestine, Theed). There at a terminal or with an NPC they will be asked if they have mastered a profession (any one profession will do) or have X skills in any one profession. They will be asked what professions are they willing tohelp a new player in. Where are NPC trainers for X professions or if they know of any players that train said professions? NPC trainers in player cities and player trainers will be needed to be updated on a regular basis (this is in case of a change in profession or a loss of the NPC). The player will also be asked if they are willing to give or loan a new player some form of transportation.
How would this work? As I meantioned my character on Bria is a Fencer/CH/Dancer. I've not mastered any, but let's say for the sake of this example that I have mastered CH. I go to the capital building in Coronet to talk to a politican, Senator Smith. I tell him that I would like to be a New Player Trainer. He asks me if I have mastered any profession. Yes, CH. "Excellent. Which professions will you help new players in?" I tell him Combat, Scout, and Entertainer. "Do you know where the trainers for saidprofessions are?" I give him the waypoints for a combat guild in Tyrena, a cantina in Arca Effex (Player CIty on Bria), a garden in Sactuary (Player City on Bria). Because I gave him player cities he asks me to come back in 2 weeks to renew the waypoints. "Do you know of any players that can teach some of the elite professions?" I name 3 friends and myself as those who can train in the elite professions. Again I am asked to return in 2 weeks. If I do not know any players it is not counted against me. Finally I am asked if I can give or lend a vehicle to the new player. I respond in the affirmative for both. "Congradulations you are now a New Player Trainer. New players will be alerted that you are willing to help them get started." If a player cannot meet with these standards he or she could no longer be a New Player Trainer.
Now on to what I would like to see added to the new player droids. As stated above new players would be alerted to the pressence of a nearby "trainer." The droid will give the new player of working with another player or working alone. If the player wants to work with another they will be given a list of "New Player Trainers" (NPT) who are willing to help them in one of their chosen feilds. After choosing a player a /tell will be sent to theNPT that there is a new player in said city that would like some help getting started. The NPT could be planetside or, ifthe new player is onone of the moons, on a nearby planet. The NPT would then need to respond when and where the new player is to meet the NPT (hopefully the NPT goes to the new player and not the other way). If the NPT is not available (AFK) the new player is then asked to choose another NPT. Should the new player want to solo it for a while the droid will ask again later or always have the option of sending a /tell to a NPT.
I believe that this would do wonders for getting a new player started. Please take my post into consideration. I am sorry that I could not get it posted sooner.
Ok, I know your heart is in the right place, but putting restrictions on the "helper" would only make less people willing to do it. The only perks to helping is the self satisfaction of knowing you helped someone. If you made someone work in order to help someone, you're likely to not have helpers. its kinda like asking a volunteer to pay for entry.
psycocat wrote:
The new system is very much like what I did, but with a droid instead. I propose that something be added to the droid, and that a new "player helper type" be established.
How would this work? As I meantioned my character on Bria is a Fencer/CH/Dancer. I've not mastered any, but let's say for the sake of this example that I have mastered CH. I go to the capital building in Coronet to talk to a politican, Senator Smith. I tell him that I would like to be a New Player Trainer. He asks me if I have mastered any profession. Yes, CH. "Excellent. Which professions will you help new players in?" I tell him Combat, Scout, and Entertainer. "Do you know where the trainers for saidprofessions are?" I give him the waypoints for a combat guild in Tyrena, a cantina in Arca Effex (Player CIty on Bria), a garden in Sactuary (Player City on Bria). Because I gave him player cities he asks me to come back in 2 weeks to renew the waypoints. "Do you know of any players that can teach some of the elite professions?" I name 3 friends and myself as those who can train in the elite professions. Again I am asked to return in 2 weeks. If I do not know any players it is not counted against me. Finally I am asked if I can give or lend a vehicle to the new player. I respond in the affirmative for both. "Congradulations you are now a New Player Trainer. New players will be alerted that you are willing to help them get started." If a player cannot meet with these standards he or she could no longer be a New Player Trainer.
I believe that this would do wonders for getting a new player started. Please take my post into consideration. I am sorry that I could not get it posted sooner.