Eq2

[kemmer]

I love the unlimited Trial they have! The fact that they're allowing unlimited access to try out new things in the newbie area is pretty awesome, and I appreciate it.

[katriell]

I'm glad I seem to've been proven wrong about this.

[pugmak]

I've only recently come back to Ryzom from my latest "greener grass" wanderings. I only had one character I cared to keep on mainland at time of RoS launch and I am rather addicted to having lots of characters to choose from, mood depending so I've spent most of my time since that launch on the NPE.

Here's my take so far and this supersedes anything I've said previously on the subject... in case I said something different earlier.

I like it. I've run through all the missions with 2 different characters and have 2 more "in the pipe" running the missions.
I enjoy still find them enjoyable (except for that dang harvest mission with the 50m search thing. That bites nasty dirties)

I like that none of the missions mandate being teamed up. Sometimes finding a team is just inconvenient. Sometimes I just don't want to bother with other people.
As this NPE matures, the population will ebb and flow and sometimes finding teams will be next to impossible.

Some of the missions are a bit heavy on the run back and forth but... quests tend to be that way so it wasn't that big a surprise when it happened here.

The reward items. I like them. They do give some sense of what might be available later in the game and they do serve to fill the hole in an area populated exclusively by characters that have yet to develop deep crafting output capability.
One of the harder issues of the old newbielandias was the denuded npc vendors. There were few players and fewer crafters so next to no items of any worth available. Besides, my pretty little Decia really looks good in that ranger armor outfit

I like that the area in NPE is large and invites exploring. I like that the kipee jungle is something you have to find by exploring.

In most cases, I've liked the new players I've run into. I've found them enthusiastic, inquisitive, curious, and surprisingly respectful. Some have been your standard issue jerkoffs but those have actually been surprisingly few and far between for me, so far.

Decisions I disagree with:

The lack of a variety of material grades, ie. fine and choice is a mistake, I believe.
This may tend to negatively impact the expectations of both new player crafters and new player diggers.

Players that do team up when a mission calls for it should share kill credits. A team should not have to kill x number of mobs times number in team. With this as it is, what possible value is there in teaming for missions that suggest forming a team? Some bosses require a team of course but even those might be solo'd if the player is patient and builds him/herself up enough first.

Javlings. If those are going to be the critter of need for so many missions, increase the spawns or spawn rates. If the worry is that when in low player population times the javs will overrun the zone, then put them on a timer that disappears them if they exist past x amount of time.

Yelks. come on! drop the dang mushroom already! sheesh.


One decision that I really do appreciate is:

Having the avatars of the GM(s) present, in game, at all most all times, visible and interacting is a big plus.

It reminds the new players that are in the "tard" personality bracket that they are being watched and should probably find somewhere else, as in another game, to mess with other players and cause problems.
And, it lets the decent folk feel like they're being looked after.

An idea that I think is more prone to cause problems that provide help:

Players taking it upon themselves to call other players out on their name choices. There is a policy, there are folk (GMs) who's job it is to take care of such issues and these folk have received guidance on that issue. Having players take it upon themselves will potentially create a lot of hard feelings, disruption, zone wide or even universal wide arguments etc. If a player sees a name that they feel inappropriate then send in a ticket. That's my suggestion.

Anyhoo, that's where my head's at on the NPE thing atm.

All in all, I get the feeling that therell be some good new blood added to the game from this current crop of newbies.

And last, but not least, when it comes to new blood, lets not forget that this is a commercial project and if it doesn't make the cash it needs to stay solvent, then it all goes away...all of it. New blood is a good thing. So lets work a bit on some of the more narrow and dogmatic definitions of what is a good player and what is not. That's also a suggestion.

[mikadou]

Players that do team up when a mission calls for it should share kill credits. A team should not have to kill x number of mobs times number in team. With this as it is, what possible value is there in teaming for missions that suggest forming a team? Some bosses require a team of course but even those might be solo'd if the player is patient and builds him/herself up enough first.

Javlings. If those are going to be the critter of need for so many missions, increase the spawns or spawn rates. If the worry is that when in low player population times the javs will overrun the zone, then put them on a timer that disappears them if they exist past x amount of time.

Yelks. come on! drop the dang mushroom already! sheesh.

I agree heartily with those above points.


I also played in the open beta, and have recently come back to see how things have developed. I've found majority of everyone I've met to be very kind and helpful. I'm used to WoW's community, so I guess ANY other is an upgrade, but I -do- think that the bad apples will either stay on the Isle forever because its free, or else leave. There are many other games, like Guild Wars or WoW, that such people will have more fun in.

I agree with what several people have said: Veterans should participate in Universe or make alts in the RoS to guide and help newcomers. With good examples and encouragement, many people will become productive citizens of Atys. The atmosphere of the game community is upheld by the majority, and is fueled by their involvement. The community will not be degraded unless the people who care most about it give up.

[acridiel]

I agree heartily with those above points.


I also played in the open beta, and have recently come back to see how things have developed. I've found majority of everyone I've met to be very kind and helpful. I'm used to WoW's community, so I guess ANY other is an upgrade, but I -do- think that the bad apples will either stay on the Isle forever because its free, or else leave. There are many other games, like Guild Wars or WoW, that such people will have more fun in.

I agree with what several people have said: Veterans should participate in Universe or make alts in the RoS to guide and help newcomers. With good examples and encouragement, many people will become productive citizens of Atys. The atmosphere of the game community is upheld by the majority, and is fueled by their involvement. The community will not be degraded unless the people who care most about it give up.

Then let´s just hope that the Ruins of Silan don´t become a kind of Purgatory, that Newcommers have to pass through before entering the Haven of the Main-Lands Beleaquerd by the evil L337 Demons and the gruesome Duell-Spammers.

All Ye´ Who Enter Here, Abandon All Hope!!

*eG*

[woqqqqa]

Well as a new player who's been running around Silan on several different characters this past week, let me put in my 2 cents...I don't know where you've gotten this leetspeak invasion idea, but I've seen maybe 2 instances so far, and those players spoke normally when asked to do so. I've seen no duel spamming...just the occasional "anyone want to have a free-for-all in the arena?". For the most part, players seem pretty self-reliant, with most of the questions having to do with basic game mechanics or where to find materials to harvest (apparently the prospecting tracking system is a bit hard to figure out at first). For the most part, it seems that your fears of a dumbing down with an influx of new players are unfounded, from what I've seen.

As for the idea that the island is a misrepresentation of what comes later on, you may have a point there. Having read quite a bit about this game, I know what I'm getting into, as quite a few players seem to...but perhaps a bit more information on the latter part of the game might help those just trying it out casually, without having read much about it in advance.

[icyrisi]

The biggest problem between the NPE and mainland is that quests on mainland are essentially uncomplete and broken.

On the NPE it's nice, you get a quest, you can look the waypoint up on the map and go do it. On mainland, if you don't have a notebook or a photographic memory you're screwed. Quest text is given once, not saved anyplace, and no details put in your journal. All you get to go on if you didn't write down the NPC speach is "find person X" - if you're lucky you may get a general area... This means that new players will play the NPE, get the idea that hey, this games nice and polished and complete, then pay the 15 bucks and go to mainland only to get frustrated when they spend hour upon hour searching for the target of a mission. The only hope of salvation for a persons santity when it comes to missions is hoping that someones on who's already done it and knows where the NPCs or mobs are... God forbid they ever put in new missions...

Some might say that its good and it forces you to explore, but not everyone wants to spend hours upon hours searching for mission goals.

It seems to me that everytime someone suggests something that exists in newer games, someone immediantly starts shouting, "No! This game will become WoW!" Well I have news for you, WoW is probably the best MMO on the market. The problem is that the community sucks, and that isn't a result of the games features, its a result of it being done by blizzard. Making Ryzom easier to play and friendlier to new players will NOT turn it into 'another WoW clone'

[grimjim]

It seems to me that everytime someone suggests something that exists in newer games, someone immediantly starts shouting, "No! This game will become WoW!" Well I have news for you, WoW is probably the best MMO on the market. The problem is that the community sucks, and that isn't a result of the games features, its a result of it being done by blizzard. Making Ryzom easier to play and friendlier to new players will NOT turn it into 'another WoW clone'

No. WoW is the most popular game on the market. Not the best. There's a difference. "100,000 Lemmings can't be wrong." ?

Copying the big guy isn't always the best way to go about things, after all, people who like that will play the big guy's game. Sometimes it's better to find a decent niche.

[katriell]

The biggest problem between the NPE and mainland is that quests on mainland are essentially uncomplete and broken.

Don't call them quests, and they're fine. Because they aren't fancy epic quests - they're simple tasks. As it should be.

When I played WoW, I quickly became bored of the quests, and the game in general. There was no challenge - you were told exactly where to go and what to do. Worse, the quests pretended to be the sort of adventures that'd only happen once ever. Yet they were infinitely repeated. At least Ryzom's missions don't pretend to be something they're not. They're just little jobs that would logically need to be done many times.

"Six million lemmings can't be wrong!" I'm so glad I have a deficiency of the brain-thingies that allow one to copy the behaviour of others...

Oh and by the way, easier game = wider appeal = larger population = worse community. That remains true.

The best thing to do about "find person X" missions is to take a day to explore a region and landmark the locations of all NPCs on your map. It's not as hard as it sounds - the only NPCs who can be involved in missions are wanderers like Hawkers, Prospectors, Hunters, etc., and stationary mission-giving NPCs in towns, such as Welcomers, Corporals, Messengers, etc. Once you have them on your map, missions are easy - you'll have all the "waypoints."

[beowulf1]

As for the NPE, I'm trying to figure out of it's a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it makes it a lot easier to get started understanding the game. On the other hand, now anyone can figure it out. The old learning curve acted as a sort of filtration system - only those with the will and interest to stick with it would stay. Hence, in part, the great community.


I love Ryzom, and I sincerely apologise for making such a negative post. But I'm feeling depressed right now because I hear this suspicious hammering sound...

If I may, being fresh from noob Island and after playing games with horrible communities, Like SWG & CoH. I have to disagree with this post and the sentiments to the Nth degree.

Noob Island and the trial is what made me pay for the game and fall in complete awe with Atys and Ryzom. It let me explore not only some of the seasons and topography of Atys, but also explore each and every race and some of their beliefs and structure. It also taught me how to play the darn game. Despite what some of the older vets are saying here, Ryzom still has a steep learning curve compared to WoW,CoH,SWG.
I will admit that there have been several 1337 people log onto noob island and just leave after an hour because they can't handle having to use their brain and fend for themselves. Yes, like another vet stated above, I have been challenged to PvP by noobs for no reason what-so-ever. I just ignore it and move about my business. I have also witnessed a couple of Noobs log on and start bashing the game and saying things like " oh this is ghey" "you can't jump in this game ? how #$&^*$&$# lame!" Only for the community to invite them to leave. I for one spotted a noob log in with the name "f@%ot". I did a petition immediately and within 5 minutes had a tell from a GM thanking me for the quick eye and for doing the right thing.

To me as a new player and customer, I understand your concerns. I understand your apprehensions about the new drive for a larger player base. However, I honestly feel that if you as the veterans of SoR, continue to behave and treat us noobs with the respect, dignity and the sincerity that you show us everyday the factors that you fear will not only be culled but the community greatness will spread.