Achaean Raves

Erasariel

When I was a Mojushai HoN/Cyrene Ambassador (or aide), my orientations take an hour. I give 'em a good, thorough tour around the city and explain lots of stuff.

I just realized how unnecessary all that was.

Kyrra

Yeah, fifteen minutes was long. When I first started, my own orientation barely went on more than fifteen minutes at most.

Whenever I make a new alt, and decide that maybe I really ought to give Houses a chance (I loathe them), I cannot fathom having to read through several short stories of house help files within a short amount of time because I feel pressured with keeping the novice aides waiting. With what legitimately new players have to go through, I'm not half surprised that only the alts stick around. It's ridiculous.

When a person is new, they should be snagged, sat down, welcomed, taught their lessons and run through the basics while answering initial questions. Then you send them off to read through the little library that is HHELP INDEX. Also, as a former novice aide, I was a strict task mistress and I had high standards. I consider my time to be valuable, and I consider a new player's time to be twice as a valuable because there is so much to take in.

I used to have the most awesome lessons written up for learning about weaponry, proficiencies, chivalry and runelore. Since this is the raves though, raves to people that make orientations and a person's first impression of Achaea really freaking awesome and encouraging.

Iocun

I try to keep the boring, educative stuff as short as anyhow possible and extend the RP/flavour aspects, which I also do somewhat differently for each novice, so it doesn't get too tedious.

EDIT: And the length depends mainly on the novice in question. If they know everything AND aren't very interest in RPing it out further (i.e. they're a lolalt), so be it, it can be shortened. If they need more explaining, or are ready to join into a more extended interaction, then I go for that.

[Deleted User]

Every orientation I've done was an hour, at least. Sometimes even longer, CROWN MERCHANTS.

Tvistor

I want to change every HHELP novice scroll to something like two paragraphs long (and list the reqs extremely briefly) butt would probably get in trouble for something or other. Mayyyybe with reason. In a way I'm a little bit glad that our help files scare some people away. The Naga ones are pretty damn short, and someone who quits upon having to read them was almost certainly going to quit later -- thus saving me a ton of time.

Katzchen

We don't orient newbies. We tell them to read one, maybe two scrolls, instruct them that they can use HNT for questions and stuff, and leave them to it. If they need help, they can ask. I've found it works quite well. Most of our novices seem to know exactly what they're doing anyway, and don't need a newbie intro, and then you have more spare time to give to those who actually do need the help.

Synbios

When we had Templar novices (hurr *shallam), I'd at least try to enclose mundane game mechanics in slightly-more-impressive RP flavor, like telling them that sufficient skill in Chivalry gives them the hand-eye coordination required to effectively use two swords/axes in tandem.

Ruth

My novices are self-taught well. I spoke to one the other day and was pleased that he figured out pretty quickly that he was entirely worthless in Mhaldor unless he changes that.

Sherazad

Every time a novice dies to a lycopod or the Leviathan, it brings a tear to my eye.

They're growing up.~

Achilles

Sherazad said:

Every time a novice dies to a lycopod or the Leviathan, it brings a tear to my eye.

They're growing up.~

The lycopods or the alts?

Sohl

Lycopods should gain strength with each kill. Mhaldorians could sacrifice themselves a la stalagmite, and eventually it would be like having ormyrr on the isle again.

Iocun

I approve. The isle needs to become a better bashing spot again.

Kyrra

I like my idea of the new and improved lycopods. Venus Man Traps, generously donated by the genetic brilliance of the Dreadlord of Flowerdor.

They will entice men off the roadways and devour them eagerly into a hungry embrace.

I expect royalties if they go ahead.

Iocun

Kyrra said:

When a person is new, they should be snagged, sat down, welcomed, taught their lessons and run through the basics while answering initial questions. Then you send them off to read through the little library that is HHELP INDEX. 

It depends on the novice. Some will really enjoy that kind of immediate personal interaction, but there are also quite many new players who are at first intimidated by having to directly interact with other players through a text-based medium and would rather first have some time figuring out things for themselves, reading some help files, etc. I was like this at a newbie. I didn't mind reading help files and trying to figure out stuff for myself, but having to interact with other people was a huge hurdle for me at first. I was new to MUDs, RP in general, and English wasn't my native language, so I was afraid I might not be able to adequately respond to other people.

So I'm certainly not saying a warm and personal welcome is a bad thing, but you can also scare away some people by being overly direct and enthusiastic. Some just need a bit time at first.

There are also some things that are just so much easier to convey in a simple help file than by having actual players take the time to explain the same small thing over and over again. I'd rather leave such tedious, repetitious things to the files, and spend my gained time interacting with them in fun ways that no help file could replace.

Kyrra

Not many can withstand the full force of the Kyrra effect

Sherazad

Achilles said:

Sherazad said:

Every time a novice dies to a lycopod or the Leviathan, it brings a tear to my eye.

They're growing up.~

The lycopods or the alts?

Amazingly, even alts seem like real novices when in Mhaldor. 

Mishgul

Tvistor said:

I want to change every HHELP novice scroll to something like two paragraphs long (and list the reqs extremely briefly) butt would probably get in trouble for something or other. Mayyyybe with reason. In a way I'm a little bit glad that our help files scare some people away. The Naga ones are pretty damn short, and someone who quits upon having to read them was almost certainly going to quit later -- thus saving me a ton of time.

Haha you said butt

Nizaris

Final (drafts) of Congregation passages: complete!

Nemutaur

@Silas and @Dannyl, fun little fight down in Annwyn. Even though I lost I was loving every second of the fight.

Silas

Heh, yeah, we were just down there for essence, then you travelled in. Made it slightly more entertaining.

Daslin

Woot! Getting better at combat. P sweet.

Oh, Side rave @Mizik Thanks for being cool about them and taking the armor off.

Mizik

Oh god that was an uberBBT

Tvistor

That's how he always ends up getting me. After like thirty minutes either he doesn't fitness or he gets me with a torso break BBT.

Daslin

@Tvistor our fights are just long and annoying at this point haha! Also, duel moar! Eff the xp loss. If you win 1/3, you can actually get about the percentage back.

Tvistor

Sure, after I'm done getting 80 from Hashan.

Zeon

Wow.. just like the old days :,)

Averi

The longest orientation I've ever done was umm... 6 hours and I had to enlist some housemates to help along.   my housemates.  They are awesome

Although, she was VERY new to muds and it was kind of exciting having a newbie who wasn't someone else's alt. 

Alexius

Not quite orientation, but I did achieve the record for the longest ever induction interview at Strider level for the Dawnstriders. I was told to be thorough. Apparently, I was just anal. It was so long, that it couldn't even fit into a newspost properly.

Daslin

@Averi remember, we're all just @Vaehl alts.

Kyrra

I'd rather be a Carmain alt