Until we get something else for the NPE, would it be possible to put a green dot next to a new player’s name so that we can tell who they are? Or make their name blue or something? Not on everyone’s new alt/characters, just on a new account. Maybe for anyone with less than 40 hours? And have that show up on the atlas as a green dot so we can locate them?
There’s a new steam review with all kinds of wrong info on it. I can tell the person really wanted to play the game & it seems like they just got frustrated and gave up. It seems like if they had a mentor, or some help, a little guidance or something, they probably would have stuck around. (No, I’m not saying all the steam reviews should all be positive or anything like that. Steam reviews aren’t the focus here…NPE is)
Yes, I know some will say it’s not our responsibility. And that’s fine. I personally love to help players, answer questions, show them some helpful things, etc. I’ve come across new players that were frustrated with not finding people or not understanding beacons - they were ready to quit - with a little guidance, they are merrily playing the game now.
And possibly in the future, create that T0 world for noobs to incubate in until they are ready for Boundless. Maybe select a handful of vets/volunteers that are allowed to travel to the T0 to wander around and answer questions, give tips, etc (if/when they feel like it).
One thing I’ve always loved about ffxiv newbie/returning player experience is the icon you get on your name.
That’s made it so easy to find those who need help if you’re in a helpful mood. Really enhances their gameplay.
Edit: rereading the OP I think it should apply to returning players as well who haven’t logged in the account in X hours as well ( tick it at 2 months or so?) this would let current/vet players catch folks up if they run across them. Enhancing the in game communicative experience should be a dev priority soon imo.
I helped a n00b hunt some meteors on Lamblis the other day, it was awesome. I was just like, dude - 3pts into kinetic armor. He was solid after that! Gave a little gear, didn’t think to explain that selling Oort is money but he’s hopefully good to go.
What about a great big red button that says ‘help’ at the bottom of the menu for the first 20 levels or so. When pressed, the help button displays a blinky character on the compass of everyone on the same planet?
So that it’s optional
Maybe experienced players could opt in to a ‘buddy’ programme, where they would be marked in a different way, in game, and new players could get a message about what to look out for if they get stuck. Maybe a floating question mark above our head, or a letter I, for info?
I don’t see the point…I was new once. I had no problems. Do u really want everyone to learn so quick. So they have done everything even more quickly…learning is the exciting part…once u stop learning does it get boring? Hey that was me.we are all different
Nope. The point is this game has no tutorial, no demo, no universal hub, etc. You and I did just fine, but there are a lot of people that aren’t making it past the 10-20 hour mark because they get frustrated with trying to warp, trying to find people, not understanding the beacon/plot system, etc. Until the game introduces some sort of tutorial or demo, a lot of us have discovered that even the tiniest bit of guidance/help/kindness towards new players that are struggling makes a huge difference for them. Some people coming to this game have never played an MMO or sandbox before. Some are little kiddos. It doesn’t hurt to guide them a little bit if we see they could use some help .
The nice thing about that is you can also chose to remove the icon as well. I made sure I immediately removed it when I started. Not everyone needs/wants the help from other players. Or wants to be labeled a new player.
I usually hit the settings as soon as I install new games/software, get new hardware, etc also. I don’t like tool tips or hints. In most games, there is some obvious visual character progression that can be seen in the gear, apparel, or something. Since you can have/do pretty much everything in BL from day one, it’s hard to tell.
I help so many newbies and returning players and giving them a head start that I’m becoming the newbie myself haha ,it’s like when u have kids and u put your kids in first row!
A lot of people who bought the game and quit in the first week did so because they had no idea what to do. Even sandbox games need a little bit of a tutorial and hand holding in the beginning before taking off the training wheels. It’s how you get someone hooked to your gaming product.
Lol I still didn’t leave and still learnt all that too…lot of people that bought the game didn’t quit either…that’s not good enough reason for me.dont get me wrong I help alot and show people around.but I just don’t think this is needed at the moment.people are going to quit this game like it all not. My son played and he got everything from me I showed him everything and he quit first week. Said it was boring… so it ain’t going to stop people quoting… plus there are so many vids and stuff they can look up…try Google maybe. But i do see your points and they are also valid. Just prefer programming spent on other things than on this.
Just because you didn’t quit doesn’t make it any less valid that others did. The game’s release date numbers and where they are right now is an indication of that. There was probably a good 1000 players at release and we’re at a small percentage of that. Some of that has to do with balance changes the devs made but also because a lot of those folks probably were people who were knew to the game. They didn’t get a great experience at the beginning cause the tutorial is garbage.
New player experience is something that can’t be over looked. It’s part of the player retention problem of the game. It’s just as important as getting new content and game features into the game cause right now the game isn’t growing in player population. And as much as we all like the game, it’s a harsh reality.
You also can’t expect everyone to jump on the forums, discord, reddit, youtube, or just make searches on Google about things in a new game.
Yea it’s valid…just not the main reason everybody new quit…But valid. I think u should be able to choose if u can be seen if new.the option to have everybody helping as u warp around…Or just do your own thing. Without the attention.i think that would work. I would hate if I bought a new account and be seen as a new player I believe it be annoying to be harassed to join my guild or build near us.because that be the new recruitment strategy.
Oh I don’t think I made my stance on lighting up new people on the compass clear.
I actually think it’s a horrible idea to have it be something that’s forced onto new players. One of the things I really hated on some of the modded Minecraft servers were people teleporting to me because they wanted to see what I was up to. It’s annoying and IMO an invasion of privacy.
If the chat system wasn’t so horrid and only a radius chat but instead a world wide chat, then it would make it easier to help people and communicate.
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