Ideas for Starter Islands

[myseren]

I know this has been brought up numerous times before, but after a chat at the IRL meeting i was asked to post this thread.
I just want people to give any constructive criticism and ideas they think could make things better, rather than a whinge about what is currently wrong, cos i think we all know already.

i would like to see

(in response to the previous thread about starter packs) The options to choose fight, magic, craft and harvest packs left as they are now, but a 'strong suggestion' that new players pick a default pack so the freedom of choice is still there but they are not penalised for picking 3 fight packs etc.

When you first start your character, some of the windows that appear are pretty useless IMO and it would be nice to have a map, and the 'K' shortcut appear as you start the game for the first time.

While playing an alt in noob island, one of the GMs was chatting on region asking how ppl were and did anyone need any help. I think it would be nice to have GM doing this on a regular basis maybe just for a couple of hours in the evening (for each timezone) as not all the new players will make it to the forums to find out that the game isnt deserted.

Well, i had a few other ideas too but cant remember them right now

[mmatto]

Universal help channel that should be selected by default. Works in Eve very well and constant chatter there will blow away feeling of loneliness (Eve iseven more lonely place for a starting player than Ryzom because of vast space).

I think there is some kind of tutorial that guides you trough interface but you have to start it manually if you happen to find it from menus (or maybe it just don't start automatically for alts, dunno).

Guides just say Hi! when they come to starter island and stand still for some time before leaving based on my experience. This is much better than not being present at all, but I don't know if new players realise that they are CSR staff that you can ask questions.

Guides could be more talkative but they could have something like (Guide) added to their name or something.

Trainers should sell more meaningful ready made actions although they might be redundant. If you already have all stanzas and credits, then price is 0.

[aylwyne]

I posted these ideas back in March, both in the forums and using the in-game submission:

First, I think one very simple thing would be to have the region chat from the new player island be combined with the region chat for the low level region in each land. That way, players on the island could ask for advice and pointers from more experienced players and also see the chatter that occurs on the region chat and not feel like they're so isolated. Perhaps it could be done as a separate "New Player" chat channel that people on the mainland had access to. Whatever the means, I think allowing new players to communicate easily with experienced players is important.

Another idea would be to allow players under a certain level to freely travel from the mainland to the island and back. Some careful thought would have to be given to prevent people abusing the system (flooding newbie island with their crafted goods, etc.) but I don't think these things are too hard to account for. Like the merchants there wouldn't accept goods not crafted by people below a certain level. Perhaps once you hit level 30 or 40 in a skill, you would lose the ability to travel back and forth.

Along those same lines, allowing experienced players some level of access to the newbie island might be good. There'd have to be restrictions such as they couldn't use their combat skills, sell their crafted items, etc. But at least they'd be able to make an appearance to chat with new players "in person" and give them some advice and pointers.

[varelse]

A "help" button on the character creation screen that opens to a help menu where a new player can research the basics of character creation and development. What can be changed or adjusted and what can't, what it means to start with three harvest packs, etc. Should include an explanation of what upgrades are and how they relate to the character's stats and playability.

A "unified" newbie island with four areas that are separated only by heavy concentrations of aggressive mobs, and maybe a maze-like structure. Or possibly by some scaled down prime roots. This would allow the new player to talk in region with other new players who've chosen to play different races, and opens up the possibility that some of the more enterprising ones might cross the barriers and explore the newbie island versions of races other than their own. It would also increase the population density of the newbie island and allow new players to help each other learn the game by comparing notes or asking/answering questions in newbie region chat.

A separate newbie chat channel that all players can access so that veteran players on the mainland can speak with new players directly, without having access to the newbie island. Allows us to share our knowledge of the world and the game mechanics with new players and also would make the island feel less 'lonely'.

[borg9]

I little idea that just popped in to the mind of Neun.

A Starter Isle Weekend! Kind of an event, without a script.
(I know a number of player already revisit Starter Isle with Alts)

I guess most of the current players have 1 free slot in their character creation screen.

Pick a weekend (say in 2 weeks time) and everyone (the more the merrier) creates an Alt and piles into the Starter isle.

No one goes to the mainland till the weekend is over!

I spent a week (evening play) in the Starter Isle and had loads of fun and found that much had changed since I was last there for any length of time.

I have a feeling this will bring the game back to life for a lot of the old players who are stuck in the 200+ grind and remind everyone of what first attracted them to the game.

Will be a great way to generate ideas too!


@Xavier - if its possible to tie in a promotion of the 'Free Trial', the starter isles will feel less 'empty' for the Trialers.


This maybe a completely silly idea, but its just a suggestion at this point.

(Remember the Beta days when you couldn't go anywhere in any Starter Isle without pushing through a crowd of refugees!)

[cygnus]

A universal help channel sounds a good idea but could become hard work for those involved (answering the same questions over and over again etc). How about a Guide NPC with a FAQ list or similair to cover the more basic general stuff but still have regular visits from guides etc who are pro-active within the region as well.

I think there should definately be some sort of skill resetting option just for the starter islands. New players usually do not know what are the best options to take and as sp is so precious early on in the game spending unwisely can really hold you back. It would also allow a bit more experimentation with the various skills ie different types of spells etc.

It shouldnt be a free option imo, maybe a cost of 1 level in the particular field you reset. Limit it to maybe a max of 3 resets per skill and only available if your skill level is below 20.

Something for the thinking pot, stir it up and see how it tastes

[dazman76]

Originally Posted by borg9

A Starter Isle Weekend! Kind of an event, without a script.
(I know a number of player already revisit Starter Isle with Alts)

I've done this before - only for a few hours though, since there weren't many people on the Zorai starter isle at the time. However, I'd be very much up for doing it in a planned manner - if we're all on starter isle, we could have a good time even without any genuine n00bs (sorry had to use the word at least once)

[sehracii]

A "starter isle" weekend event would be great, count me in.

I'd love to see the islands bustling with people!


Do we let other people know who we are on mainland and seek our the usual friends or keep it a secret and just team with whoever we run into?

[mrshad]

We could get rid of the starter islands completly, and make the level progresion of the mobs around the main cities a bit more sane.

[suib0m]

On the Matis island, we've been doin this pretty much since I've started. However, Suibom has taken over recently as he is needed for certain aspects, but Valeriana will be back on the Island on a regular basis (I hope) again. There's a post elsewhere that describes a basic mission set that was used to help newbies get familiar with some aspects.. If we could post mission sets here, then we could use those to new folks out.

The reason this is done instead of "hey can I help you? Let me suite you up no charge" is because, since Ryzom is largely story driven, it's good to get folks used to playin in some sorta role fashion (IMO). Also, I think folks appreciate gifts more when they work for them, and don't value them quite so high when it's freely given and they can just go around kickin arse. For those of you who are story driven, you may want to plant the seeds of the story on the newbie island, let new players understand the factions and how they interact. Let them know of the coming war.. Get them excited

Anyway, here's my basic mission set again, if anyone is interested or wants to add to it or create one of their own:

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Newbie Mission Guide v.1:

1. Find a newbie or two (more can lead to group problems trying to explain portions of the game) hanging around <starter city>, maybe heal them a bit if they are fighting.

2. Ask them if they've been to the other villages, find out where they have visited.

3. Ask them to help in journeying to another village to complete a quest/mission, let them know there will be a reward.

4. If they are extremely under equipped, give them light pants/vest and a couple of q20 daggers to start out with.

5. Have them group together. If your level is going to suck out all the XP, just let them know you wont be grouping due to having too high a lvl at healing. Make sure they use /say to communicate. Let them know of the different communication channels and how they are used.

6. Start the tour:

A) Make sure they know how to use the map and compass. Let them know what path will be taken to the destination village. Usually I will have new players head north to near the edge, then west to Stalli. The amount of aggros on this path is relatively small. Mention the marking of map spots to help find certain resources again. Show them how to set their compass to a landmark, etc...

B) Let them know about the fauna of Atys. The aggros, ragus/gingo, are more prevalent and active at night and early morning, times to be specially wary. Point out how they like to "play dead". Explain how herd movement of other animals can be a very good indication of where a dog might be hiding or fighting. When ragus/gingo attack, they do so from behind, which leads into..

C) Let them know about any key shortcuts that might come to mind. Specifically here I mention the 0 key on the keypad to keep an eye on teammates and dog movent behind you. Other such items might be ctrl 1-0 for the hands bars, space bar and f12 for targeting, etc..

D) As a last mentioning before the journey, I would make the suggestion that new players stick with melee fighting till at least lvl 10 to 20 regardless of what skill they want to specialize in. It can be frustrating to try and expand the other skillsets when you keep getting killed because of lack of base hitpoints.

E) Head north and then west on the way to Stalli. Take some time to point out various things such as the lightning storms , a herd of Capys fleeing from a ragus, a certain spot along the way that has been rumored to be a good source of X material, etc etc... Take some time to gain some levels as well.

F) Stalli.. rejoice in the successful journey.. reward the players with another piece of equipment (usually a 1h sword in return for one of the daggers) and some dappers. Have the players train up. I would recommend Increased Damage and Attack after Dodge/Parry. Explain the modular action system by adding Increased Damage to the default attack and creating an Increased Dam (and maybe more stanzas) attack using the "Attack after" skill. I've often enough encountered folks that didn't understand the attack after skills, so I try and explain it here.

G) Need to complete another part of the mission/quest, will need to head to the southwest town (can't remember the name). From here it's just a matter of having fun and making sure no one gets killed. Show them the kipees... maybe have one of them heal while the other tanks and you just hang back to make sure it goes well, healing as needed... etc...


And that's version 1 of the newbie mission. At the end of it, they have a full suit and enough dappers to focus on their primary skill for a while. It's nice to request that they pass on the information if they get the chance, maybe pass on the eq/weap if they choose something different or head to the mainland.
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Obviously, this is matis island centric. Also, regarding statements about the dogs, they don't hold quite so much water anymore since the latest patch. Now the dogs are everywhere at every time and are very much a pain .

Anyone else want to create a basic magic introduction guide?