Procedures for welcoming hoard of new players

General
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With Boundless now on sale, and a 400% rise in digital activities thanks to Covid-19, we are about to see a heavy increase in new players compared to normal.

The following is meant to become a standard procedure of welcoming when you come across these tattooless, single handed, naked, and afraid new players.

This is 100% player generated, so there is no bad suggestions, unless it violates the COC. Lets come up with ways and common practices we can help to ensure these players feel welcomed/challenged/relaxed/entertained/boundless.

I would start by suggesting veteran players refrain from giving out any Gem tools. Let them remain a prize for the new players to strive towards. If we open christmas presents any day of the year, christmas morning loses its magic. There is a science behind creating a digital challenge and we should trust in the Oort-Arch. ā† (Did I get that rite?)

If you feel obliged to give gifts I suggest a free Teach loaf/pie with several ss of rock OR earthyams with instructions to craft them all before they log off for the night.

A grapple is also a great starting gift. Making traveling much faster and easier makes the initial slow moving less daunting.

I have found success in retaining new players with a simple introduction and SHORT tour of your favorite portal network. Portals have become a life force of the game and may feel overwhelming at first. But with a little bravery mixed with some curiosity, a player can get lost, and found in the expansive portal network.

Last, welcome new players to build in your city. But dont be pushy. Connectivity to servers, or lack of, can make or brake an experience. Encourage players to claim plots within their region of planets.

What do you think community?

Edit - Summaries -

Beacons seem to be a consistent issue, Be sure to ask if they have a home or understand what a PLOT is. Maybe donate a beacon and basic fuel and plot pages.

Low tier metal tools, and low tier forges seem to achieve the same goal as T6 hamers. The player realizes a larger potential but a low tier forged tool is within their economical grasp. It also leaves that prize factor for Gem tools.

Good point! I like to post the ā€œForum.playboundless.comā€ on a sign at my shop. It would be great to see Hub owners take advantage of the visibility and post a sign as well.

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Agreed completely and utterly.

The best thing you can give a new player is knowledge.

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Very good post.
Definitely do refrain from giving players gem aoe tools. It completely takes away any challenge.
I personally do show them where they can buy them, once they are at titanium level. But let them experience it!

It seems counter-intuitive, but you may ruin a players experience by giving them too much stuff

Grapple is a good idea, so is maybe a map of the planet, and as @wakeNbake said: knowledge.
Show them the discords, the forums, cities accepting new players, etc.

Also, make sure they understand plots/beacons! Probably most important for early-game player-retention :slight_smile:

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Some great tips for guiding new players (that are open to it). :+1:

A lot of them are usually low on health so I give them food.

They usually donā€™t have a grapple yet - gold is perfect for newer players since it reaches far & itā€™s relatively easy for them to obtain/make another if they need one. Most of them havenā€™t been on a hunt yet & have asked me whatā€™s the point of a grapple. I show them how it can help them reach high places and how to grapple the ground when falling, so they donā€™t die.

I help them locate portals/networks that are within running distance of their home. I show them a few of the most-used portal networks. I will usually run through the low level planet portals, back to their base, and back to my place several times, until they are confident that they can travel to a few useful places on their own. Itā€™s good if you can show a decent amount of patience. Everything is new to them & thereā€™s a lot to remember.

I tend to avoid trying to explain portals & portal fuelā€¦they need their skills for other things when they first get started & it usually takes them awhile to grasp the portal system (unless they specifically ask me about it. Iā€™ve helped a few set up their portals and tossed in a few shards). When I go to their planet, Iā€™ll usually make a token for the portal hub of a main network so that I can show them how to warp to the hub, if itā€™s over 300m away.

When they show me their base, I often find that they have placed numerous campfires, blocks out of their plots, etc. I take the time to walk them through placing a beacon, plotting, making sure their items are within their plots, etc.

If they ask about meteors and seem up for it, I take them to a T3 (usually Merika) and help them take down a low level meteor. They learn pretty quickly when I do this with them & they seem to come away with a lot of confidence in regards to hunting/meteors. I tend to avoid bringing them along on the big hunts at first because they sometimes get frustrated with the terrain & it can be overwhelming for them. They also may not have the skills/protections/gear needed and may feel frustrated.

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It depends on the player. i personally am the type who prefers to not waste time and enjoy min maxing, so finding a high end player who can give a break down on efficiency, and give me the end game tools, would have me catch up quickly, and pull ahead, to keep getting others ahead, in an infinite cycle. So I myself am the opposite, and tend to give out about 100k worth of coin and tools to new players that i meet. Help everyone get further faster, helps the game get further faster. But im a Min Maxer, and see the game in numbers.

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Maybe a monthly Beginners Banquet

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Yikes lol. I hope they donā€™t get bored faster :wink:

Sometimes new players wonā€™t even accept food from me - they only want info & prefer to do everything themselves. I am also someone that prefers to play a new game ā€œvanillaā€, on default settings, & savor/learn as much as I can. A surprise gift from an OP player once in awhile is nice/special, as long as itā€™s not overdone imo.

I just hope the experience of the game isnā€™t spoiled when new players are given so many things.

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At the same time, we see a lot of people quit before they reach end game, so that means a lot of people never even know what to look forward to after they get past the tedious 1 block slow tools. Gives them hope for a brighter future.

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Think of it as test driving a car you like but canā€™t afford yet. Nice to get the oppritunity in case you never get there.

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The game could use a good demo/tutorial. Most of the new players I help are frustrated with beacons and arenā€™t even aware of forged tools, etc.

You are right - there are some that just want to do as much as they can, as fast as they can. If the game wanted to prevent that, they would incorporate player levels like many MMORPGs have (ie: you canā€™t use/make max forged gear until you reach level 50, etc). Everyone enjoys different things at different speeds :+1:

fish

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Im looking forward to this. I spend almost 0 time on low level planets but would be very willing to help littles. I wish them well.

Also, remember that some of these guys are gonna be epic ba in a few months or weeks. They may be VERY expirienced gamers. So be respectful, our new lord commander might be in there lol.

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Honestly for brand new players portal networks are overwhelming. I just show them how to get to one portal near their base and let them explore.

Iā€™ve switched to titanium for new players, but I still give out AoEā€™s. Itā€™s my personal opinion that they should know they exist. I remember being mad when I learned about AoE at all the time I wasted - I had the coin, I just didnā€™t know they existed. Iā€™ve heard opinions on both sides of the argument from new players and old players. To each their own though.

Yeah I just brought two of those on board, stay tuned! One is almost ready to open a shop :blush:

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I prefer to give gold grapples, titanium tools, food and a few coins to rebuy said equipment once its used. The rest is information on mechanics in the game and a quick portal guide.

I remember how confusing the game was in the beginning. Dont want to sensory overload a newcomer.

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Im basically startingfrom the scratch.
Is spot still open

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When i come across new players i gift them metal tools and basic food.
knowledge off course to.
That there is eao and letting them know is a good point but I wouldnā€™t go that far as giving them eao tools. Simply because once they used it, going back to the tedious single block mining becomes to slow.

Have enough space available for bases and can expand when neededšŸ˜‰.

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When I meet a new player, I try to go and check out their build. Itā€™s fun seeing a brand-new style and it helps a new player to realize that the world is populated.
It also gives you an idea of how far along in the game they are and what/if any gifts are appropriate. A 1x2 portal to a planetary hub fueled for the month and an invitation to a future hunt is usually welcome.

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You are Talking About me again?
I feel discriminated ;(

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when I started playing I enjoyed the progression. bought some iron tools for 120c and longingly stared at a 15k forged diamond hammer. knowing that there is so much to do was kinda exciting. I would not give fancy tools or tens of thousands coins to a new player. they use it up and then what? they are nowhere near making it themselves, for most that means going back to either iron or begging.
I can only talk about my personal experience, not sure how many people feel this way.

a basic ā€˜care packageā€™ for a new player could contain: 50-100 of some basic food (no buff) 5-10 food with buffs (any), unforged metal tools (1 of each) (not titanium. upgrading to titanium was a big deal for me, Iā€™m glad I wasnā€™t robbed of it :smiley: ), torch or a gleam block for light, a few healing potions.

advanced package: atlas (with explanation), basic chisels (with explanation), a low quality forged tool (or used) to give them a taste

most importantly knowledge about everything you gave them.
instead of money, give them jobs (fetch me some ash, I pay doubleā€¦ oh whatā€™s that? a sulphur fragment? boom! a conversation about alchemy )
and take it slow. it is nice you want to help, but it could be overwhelming for them

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I like all the nice ideas, dont misunderstand me with the following.
What is bred in here is a Player who thinks he is Special. A Player who Comes into a new game and gets taken care of. This might be true for boundless, but it doesnt work in 99% of other mmos.
Instead of shoving the stuffā€¦giving them presents, why not teach them plain and simple above and beyond the tutorial measures?
Why does it have to be items to make it less grindy, to Show what is there to come, to hide the tue game Play?
If People are inclined to help, take over Kind of a Mentoring help with words, not items. Dont hide the grind, make it rather clear. I personally think that would help more with Players staying, helping them to decide from the start if the Investment is worth the game Play or viceversa.

This is what i am Looking at.

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Carry around Grapples and show them how to use one it the Greatest tool to have with all them holes in the planets (^-^)

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