The Newb Effort

[MegamanEXE]

Things like Pub Bucks and Super Lev Terrs are definitely not helping new players(new to the game, or new to the zone) to stick around.

Also, things like when a newb asks how to switch teams/ships/etc. and people reply with "alt-f4" or "esc. q" should get a warning from staff. But then again, you can't expect much in the way of common courtesy out of the average Trench Wars player, and to an extent the staffers as well.

Pub bucks is a good system if people actually had to play PUB to earn their PUB bucks. But most people earn them through donations or events. Usually ridiculous amounts are rewarded for said donations and events too. Nothing proportionately even to what is received through playing pub.

My solution would be to reset all pub bucks, and ONLY reward pub bucks through pub play. Also eliminate super lev terrs.

About superlev... Exactly the same things I was saying in my Spacebux essay. It was met with a response that was basically "HURRR DURRR YOU CAN KILL THEM ANYWAY"

Problem is, I can't kill one on my own. In fact I remember an incident where I was on a priv with six other people and couldn't take out ONE superlev for a good 20 minutes.

I never really liked levis, but I understand that they have been an integral part of TW for a while. Nevertheless, pure pub that TW used to have was the best thing to encourage basing.

Anyway, how does that relate to new players? Well, if I can't kill a superlev on my own, and small teams of veterans have problems killing superlevs, does anyone really think that newbs stand a chance? Does anyone think that newbs stand a chance against nukebase, thors, or repeatedly bought FCs? If new players already have a hard enough time just learning the basics of flying with veteran pubbers killing them, they are sure to quit when they find out that that little purple blob just made them explode from half a screen away.

IMO the best thing to do is just remove the money system entirely, go back to ?buy, and have purepub at least part of the time.

[ogron]

I had the same principles in mind when I wrote my essay about Spacebux. The problem isn't really the system itself, but the fact that TW staff attempted to "appeal to newbies" by making a system that is inherently biased against new players in many ways. As the essay in the OP notes, new players will have a hell of a time just trying to figure out what's going on in the game in the first place.

I started playing in 03. Probably the reason why I stuck around is because of the community, which was much more sympathetic to new players. TW ended up being a way to learn how to play the game: learning how to pilot and dogfight in pub, learning how to base and work together with teammates in pub, and playing events for fresh perspectives on piloting and objectives. All this within a thriving, happy community filled with people just like me, learning how to play.

It's pretty obvious that today's TW community is nothing like the old community. Apparently the main focus of TW now is the e-penis measuring contests that are leagues. Focusing on leagues isn't bad in itself, but there is no way for new players to even reach the leagues. Pub is nothing like leagues: there's all kind of crap like Spacebux, Killothon, superlevs, etc. whipping around Pub like a mosquito buzzing around a new player's head. It's hard enough for a new player to learn how to fight and pilot in the first place without getting superlev'd or spawned, how the hell do people think they can reach a league?

I support this idea, we have to make this game work for new players.

Agreed. I made this post without even seeing this thread, but I think a change of map/concept of pub would really benefit what you guys are talking about:
http://forums.trenchwars.net/showthr...ncept-Proposal

[ogron]

I really can't think of a better way to get a new person engaged than throwing them into a 8v8 BASING GAME in SPIDER -- CTRL to fire, ARROWS to move, shoot the ships with blue names.

PAGE DOWN then F7 to attach to your TERRIER (red ship, like an aircraft carrier) every time you die. It doesn't get any simpler or easier to understand than that, and the confined space and heavy action means no matter how bad you are you will get the immediate feedback of killing people and playing in some intense close-quarters combat.

I think the whole community should double-down on pure basing as the best way to snag new people within 1 to 5 minutes of them trying this game out, find a way to get them into spider right off the bat and into basing action, and put the controls of: ARROWS, CTRL, PAGE DOWN, and F7 extremely visible and in their face.

[Jones]

continuing on claushouse idea; you could try a 'pure basing weekend' where you chop off the map and just use flagroom and mid-base. twenty people per arena, idlers to be sent to afk arena and restrict the ships to 1,3,5,8 (javelin is usually too popular so one freq would just use 8 of those). kinda similar to that terrible shitzone dsb. also, spamming ?go elim for warbird and javelin duels. I'm against restricting anything and i don't play pub so i don't really give a damn if its a terrible idea or not.

[Harder]

Idea

So I just began playing LoL League of Legends

and they have done a great job of having a noobie tutorial like most MMORPGs do.

I totally agree we need one of these, with audio instructions.

When a new player enters SS for the first time they get transported into a 30 minute tutorial.

The map is 10 in basic flight, 10 in LD arena, 10 in LJ arena, 15 in Basing arena.

We make bots that they can kill that are easy to kill.

It goes step by step with instructions starting with flight, then ctrl, then energy bar, radar, macros.

Then explains the 10 deaths aspects of WB and a practice game of DD is played with bots.

Then explains the 10 deaths aspects of JAV and practice game of JD is played with bots.

Then explains the 15 min win aspect of Base and practice game is played where the noobie plays in each ship. or maybe just Spid/Terr/Shark! (5 each)

It was just a constructive idea. but that might just be what is lacking.

What do you guys think?

[Downfall]

Doubt people will wait 30 min for a tutorial

[zih]

Doubt people will stay when they have horible staff that does not even know how to hold their emotions in thru a pc when a dumbass like me says 1 thing that hurts there feelings.

[MegamanEXE]

So I just began playing LoL League of Legends

and they have done a great job of having a noobie tutorial like most MMORPGs do.

I totally agree we need one of these, with audio instructions.

When a new player enters SS for the first time they get transported into a 30 minute tutorial.

The map is 10 in basic flight, 10 in LD arena, 10 in LJ arena, 15 in Basing arena.

We make bots that they can kill that are easy to kill.

It goes step by step with instructions starting with flight, then ctrl, then energy bar, radar, macros.

Then explains the 10 deaths aspects of WB and a practice game of DD is played with bots.

Then explains the 10 deaths aspects of JAV and practice game of JD is played with bots.

Then explains the 15 min win aspect of Base and practice game is played where the noobie plays in each ship. or maybe just Spid/Terr/Shark! (5 each)

It was just a constructive idea. but that might just be what is lacking.

What do you guys think?

You really think that newbs are going to sit through a 30 minute tutorial to learn about maps and leagues that don't make any difference in pub, where the newb is going to play for the first months of his career?

IMO the focus on leagues is one of the reasons that TW is so hostile to new players right now. Let newbs learn how to fly in pub, and discover the competitive aspect of TW later on.

Like it's been said before: we need to make a good impression on newbs in the first few minutes of play. I really like Claushouse's suggestion about only presenting the basic essentials for a newb to know how to fly and fight in a spider.

As a note about leagues and newbs - I think that events are a much better than leagues for newbs. Events were the only thing that kept me around TW for a long time. WTF happened to events? Mario, bug, pictionary, gatez etc over and over. We have to redevelop the front end of TW aka pub, but we also have to have fun things for newbs to do once they learn how to fight in pub.

[Ephemeral]

Here’s an idea, albeit 'outside the box'.
We define ‘playing time’ as a player that is actively playing (not sitting in spec). For every hour of ‘playing time’ you get one TW MegaLottery ticket. Every two weeks TW holds a lottery drawing with the winner getting $25 cash (from donated money that has been sitting there while people try to figure out how to use it to build population). Odds of winning depend upon total number of hours played for the that week period and this has no dependencies upon your skill level.
eph

[roxxkatt]

yes, lets waste our irl $


something cheaper: pubbux
and then it suddenly becomes a good idea

eph

[Downfall]

Eph, I like! It doesnt even have to be 2 weeks, even if its once every month, then that tiny bit of incentive will definitely cause people to play more, only at the cost of $25 a month. The increase in total playing time of the players will definitely outweigh the $25.

[Ephemeral]

yes, lets waste our irl $


something cheaper: pubbux
and then it suddenly becomes a good idea

eph

I thought of that but rejected it;
- pub bucks has 'loopholes'
- you want everyone to start from 0, some players already have large amounts of pub bucks
- pub bucks is a second layer abstraction, why not keep it simple with the direction relationship with between 'hours played' and opportunity to win something

I also do not agree with your comment about 'waste our irl $. People donated with the idea that it would be used to improve TW/increase population. How better than to have a direct relationship between playing time and chance to win somethign of real value?
eph

[Ephemeral]

Eph, I like! It doesnt even have to be 2 weeks, even if its once every month, then that tiny bit of incentive will definitely cause people to play more, only at the cost of $25 a month. The increase in total playing time of the players will definitely outweigh the $25.

Sure, whatever the timeframe and $$ amount is agreed upon, I was just floating the general idea. I am willing to donate $100 toward this if someone is willing to implement it.
eph

[roxxkatt]

honestly, its a decent idea, although u should lower it to $10
and the irl $ part from -10 horrible idea to 10 great idea is only like a -1
eph

and bring back P_Ls pizza tourney

[ogron]

who's in charge of making changes to pub? would be nice to interact and see what's going on and if ppl can get involved