What do you teach novices?

Sarapis

In reference to this thread, about city novicehood - http://forums.achaea.com/discussion/1072/city-novicehood - I had some questions that you guys could help with.

I'd love to assemble a giant list of everything Houses currently feel like they have to teach newbies that ISN'T directly related to their House. So, that's anything to do with game mechanics except for specific strategy on class skills or RP info like history, House purposes, etc. Basically, everything that we could reasonably automate teaching newbies via tasks and help files that you feel like you need to teach House novices currently.

Thanks!

Batang

Anti Theft (well they used to)

Tekk

How to use a rift. 

How to learn. 

Where a tutor is. 

What portals are. 

How to do a newbie quest. 

When to drink a health vial/mana vial. 

How tattoos work. 

Basic etiquette. 

Sarapis

@Tekk So, it's fair to say then that the current intro doesn't teach some of those things very well (which we already know, really, just aren't sure how bad it is), as how to learn, for instance, is in it.

Tekk

@Sarapis - I don't want to put the blame on the intro. Some things you learn by repetition, others are easy to grasp on the first try. In my (non)expert opinion, half of the game is learning by repetition. 

Xae

@Tekk similar with what I do, too! But if they're rogue, I suggest that they join a House and/or City to learn more about their class skills and for general safety. I tell em the novice areas to start out with, remind them of their TASKS to help them get some gold. Even the general usage of where to put their lessons if they don't want to join a city or house.

Tekk

Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I don't bother with rogues at all and only teach my house's novices. 

Kresslack

I actually have a friend who started playing, this being his first MUD. He's been asking me stuff as he's going through his Novice phase, such as "How do check to see if I need to sleep?" [Check Stat], etc. The introduction covers some of the very basics, but asking him, he says he didn't realize(through the Nexus client) that it's a full text-based game, where commands have to be Typed compared to things all being clickable.

Xae

I only deal with same-class rogues, heh.

Eld

-How to learn generally isn't too bad, but who can teach, where to find tutors, what myrrh does.

-Use of the Rift and basic curing. Health and mana, as Tekk said, but early on also cures for common afflictions, such as mending, bloodroot, and goldenseal.

-Basic geography. Some of this is specific to the city (where to find the main hub of the city, the bank, the post office, the ratman), some little bit house specific, and some general. Could probably be largely addressed via explaining about landmarks, especially with the new area-specific ones.

-Basics of communication. How to use HNT/CT, and what's considered appropriate for those channels (sanity, no emoticons, etc).

-Basic PK rules.

-Antitheft

Some basic stuff on class skills could probably be feasible, such as what the basic hunting attack is for their class. Or just something about the KILL command.

Sarapis

Tekk said:

@Sarapis - I don't want to put the blame on the intro. Some things you learn by repetition, others are easy to grasp on the first try. In my (non)expert opinion, half of the game is learning by repetition. 

The intro sucks, you can feel free to put some blame on it.

Watching videos of people totally new to MUDs trying to go through our intro is.....horrible. It's really really painful to watch. 

Kresslack

I've logged in to the website client and tried it out, and have been watching him use it, and it seems to have a lot of clickable feature integrated into it. Maybe to expand upon my previous post, having something in the introduction that lets them know this is typically a type of game where the commands have to be typed. I don't think Help Commands indicates this, although the Introduction hints at it with making syntaxes in caps, such as GET PACK.

Alcinae

Still a beginner when it comes to Orientations, but... basic geography, useful landmarks, Rift, anti-theft, skills, how to make gold (through ratting).

Sarapis

@Kresslack Yeah, we're going to be showing people how to do that in a graphical pop-up. Imperian already has a first draft of a new novice system in fact, at http://client.imperian.com if you're interested. You just need to create a new character, go through creation, and you'll start seeing graphical pop-ups explaining how to interact with the client itself.

Morro

Where to find supplies like inks, a pack, tinderbox.
How to emote.
How to use the HELP and HHELP files to find something.
How to give groups of things to people instead of one at a time.
The difference between tells and channels.
How to use IH and how to refer to objects/denizens. For instance, using "look humgii" instead of "look at a furry humgii".
How to know if someone is going to kill you if you kill this pony.
How to acquire, fill, and keep track of what's in your vials.
How not to be a douche.

Kresslack

Sarapis said:

@Kresslack Yeah, we're going to be showing people how to do that in a graphical pop-up. Imperian already has a first draft of a new novice system in fact, at http://client.imperian.com if you're interested. You just need to create a new character, go through creation, and you'll start seeing graphical pop-ups explaining how to interact with the client itself.

Just checked it out, and it's pretty much exactly what I was talking about, directing them to the fact that commands have to be typed generally.

[spoiler]

You step through a small portal that leads to the Black Pines, a sinister forest full of foul demons and shady individuals.

Behind a dark tent.

You see a single exit leading south.

[Tutorial] You have a new task! Find an Ithaquan explorer in the Black Pines. Type or click SOUTH to move to her.

Health:46 Mana:45 (e-)

You have recovered balance.

Health:46 Mana:45 (eb)

You walk south.

Within a dark tent.

An explorer is here, hacking the body of a dead daemonite.

You see exits leading north and southwest.

An Ithaquan explorer exclaims, "Ermak. The forest needs you. Daemonites invade our borders, slaughtering our people!"

The explorer is desperate for help. Type GREET EXPLORER to find out how.

[Tutorial] You have completed your tutorial task!

[Tutorial] You have a new task! Learn about the explorer's quest by typing or clicking GREET EXPLORER.

Health:46 Mana:45 (eb)

[/spoiler]

Tekk

Sarapis said:

Tekk said:

@Sarapis - I don't want to put the blame on the intro. Some things you learn by repetition, others are easy to grasp on the first try. In my (non)expert opinion, half of the game is learning by repetition. 

The intro sucks, you can feel free to put some blame on it.

Watching videos of people totally new to MUDs trying to go through our intro is.....horrible. It's really really painful to watch. 

So I can email you my intro suggestions? 

Sarapis

Sure, but it'd be more productive to put them here to be honest.

Sena

It's been quite a while since I've taught any newbies, and most of them had already grasped the basics, but here's what I usually needed to teach:
How to solve/find quests. The quests in the newbie areas don't really show them much beyond "kill this denizen and give it to that denizen" and "find this item and give it to this denizen". The fact that there can be invisible items to interact with is especially something that not many newbies seemed to figure out on their own, and not many of them try using the push/pull/turn/etc. commands on items.
How to earn gold, beyond ratting and butterflies.
Where to hunt after the newbie areas.

Anaidiana

Sentaari was:

Greeting/Introduction

ask if they had any questions to start with

Tell them what was expected of them behavior wise - 

 - representative of house/city/mentor/etc.

 - go over house rules 

antitheft/survival (myrrh and rift)

class specific training/blade quest

how to advance within the house

strong urge towards seeking a mentor sooner rather than later

Packed 'em off to Minia to level up or dragged them around if I had time. 

 -* what they weren't allowed to kill via clhelp TTT

Sultani

There's an automated city quest in another IRE game that I found really helpful. It sends you all around the city and teaches you bits of the city's specific history at the same time you're learning where the market, library, etc are located. Might be a time saver for elder house members as many seem to put this step in the orientation/first-tier interview process.

Xenomorph

- Break down of any HHELP questions in general

- Geography as it pertains to Novice Req's

- Explaining Guild philosophy 

- Having "the talk" with them about how it works here later in life (last chance warning to leave if its not for them)

- Managing lessons for Necro vs Runie

- Managing venereal disease

- Defense/theft basics

Rispok

• Armour and weapons to use
• Why buying from denizens is terrible
• The fact you have to advance in a house, not just kill shit
• Not ratting in public
• How to use messages
• Things people already have said, especially rift
• How to RTFM. No. Seriously. There should be something saying you have to read, and it should pop up every 35 seconds for the first 3 hours of gameplay. Okay. Maybe not that serious.

Silvarien

@Sarapis: Honestly... I think the most important thing for a person dealing with a newbie is just be kind to them. I try to let them come to me with whatever questions, and keep them company so they have someone pleasant to talk to as they learn. The learning of mechanics will take rl months for people that know what they're doing. People like me, who are not technical wizards, can be situated after three rl years but still have large gaps in their knowledge. For example, I made an idea in the Dais a couple hours ago suggesting something that is already in the game. After 3 years playing it. But I can manage to keep the newbies around because it's not really about skills as much as it's about people. If a novice lands in a comforting environment, they are more likely to stay. If they are manhandled, they will probably leave, and it doesn't matter whether the bully is a random troll account or someone ranked CR6 in his city. Nobody is going to stay on a hard game like this if they don't perceive the community as welcoming.

Sherazad

- MAP radius 5, map, refer to the big Achaean map if they're having a hard time exploring.

- containers, normal or tun refills

- probing denizens who might be loyals.

That's all I remember for now. What I spend most of the time doing is trying to get them used to the Mhaldorian lifestyle of not complaining. 

Skye

I'm incredibly adverse to making them sit down before they even do anything and read file after file like 'here's our overview, PS you might also want to read all of this stuff', but that's the procedure. I don't really believe some of them even read it until their earliest convenience anyway.

I don't know whether bombarding them with a whole bunch of information from the start is the best idea or just letting them mess around and take time finding things out on their own, but personally I advocate the latter and just let them sandbox a bit.

Novices get their lessons (which I wish we could just streamline sometimes to lesson sets of larger than just 15 >_>), and I go through some of the skills that come up as useful as well and abilities that would land them in trouble if they were using it on other people.

On top of that it's about reminding them to probe and that they can get curatives by asking on CT or HNT since the orgs are full of refillers >_>

And then reminding them that they can refer to X file again for their reqs and guidelines.

Any last minute questions. if none, then ok go and have fun and feel free to send a tell anytime.

I'll admit one of the most jarring things about newbies is when they don't get the concept of ooc/ic behaviour and then you get these people who just keep referring them to HELP INSANITY like it helps (not really). It really buggers me when everyone tries to pussyfoot around telling the newbie outright and oocly that putting smilies on CT is not acceptable and so forth because they're trying to stay IC themselves.

Lukan

Pretty much everything Collegiums in Lusternia teach(minus their game-specific things). They have it down pretty damn well over there.

Mishgul

Managing lessons, and making sure they understand the mentality of the faction I am in, seperating IC/OOC are the main things I try to teach to newcomers, and convincing them that dying/losing xp/losing money isn't the end of their text life.

Yen

Generally: AB, DEF, tattoos, how to avoid drowning

For Magi novices:  channels, stonefist, reflection, water weird*, stoneskin, MEDITATE

*including being able to identify and command one's weird by number.

Wysteria

I always begin with the following as so many just don't quite get it the first time —

Do you know how to check your:

• Stats

• Score

• Inventory

• Defences

• Afflictions via DIAG ME

• Rift

• Probe things

• HWHO, CWHO, QW

• skills with AB

• HELP COMMONSENSE and general IC related things.

• the fact there are people you can always turn to for help.

• What "mis" means, along with getting Aeon/soul-rip.

We open the intro via HNT to please talk and ask questions over HNT or CT.

Other parts of my intro include where to put the lessons for their class, acquiring their equips, tattoos, and of course the real nitty-gritty of their class abilities and the least painful way to die...and vials. How to SIP HEALTH and not just SIP VIAL which will get confusing at first.

I have aliases for my intros and it hasn't failed me yet with the way I explain it in an IC manner. It's a lot to take in, really.

Havyn

Yen said:

Generally: AB, DEF, tattoos, how to avoid drowning

For Magi novices:  channels, stonefist, reflection, water weird*, stoneskin, MEDITATE

*including being able to identify and command one's weird by number.

I did a good bit of novice training in the Crystalline and probably went into way too much detail.  I generally went over each ability in Elementalism and Survival that they learned to make sure they were comfortable with using and understood them.  Also, how to use the AB menu to see what skills they had and how to actually see how to use them.  (Like Glance in Vision)  If they were having trouble with sipping and staying alive, I helped them with basic aliases for that. I would show them how to make a simple QL trigger if they were hunting with someone.  Just things that I thought made game play a bit easier.   I would do tattoos and have them tell me what inks were needed and what they did.  Some novices were eager to get out and start killing stuff and some appreciated the time, so it I tried to gauge how much we went over by them really.