Perspectives from a new player

[Vazzlefar]

Hey all!

Just wanted to share some thoughts based on my experience getting started on Toril as an essentially new player.

I had played a bit on Soj 2 / 3 a long time ago (maybe 10+ yrs ago) so I was familiar with some of the basics (pray/mem, vague awareness of stat notches, etc). But a lot of it was new or unfamiliar. It felt just shy of starting a new MUD from scratch.

I've actually had a really good time so far, mostly thanks to all the players who have answered my tons of questions, helped me level, and helped me learn the game better (Pacug, Lilithelle, Resasne, many others). Thanks guys, you are awesome!! I even just had my first zoning experience last night, which was a lot of fun. I've been happy so far and would love for more people to play this game, so I wanted to share a few key things that I think may be hindering new player retention based on my experiences from the early levels. I'm afraid it'll start to fade in my memory now that I'm able to tackle some greater challenges.

There are basically 4 key hindrances, and I'll just touch briefly on each one:

1: I had no idea what to do when I started in Scardale.

2: When I started killing mobs, I couldn't find any gear; I guess it must have been looted already.

3: I did not know that there were quests in Scardale, or how to find them using "ask."

4: After I learned about ask from Ipaz, none of the mobs seemed to have quest equipment. I'm not sure if it was looted, or rare load, or what, but I never found enough pieces of loot to complete any quests. I would have loved to do these as they seemed cool.

Some suggestions to alleviate this stuff:
- Some direction or a goal upon starting would have been great - even just a mob that told me to go somewhere (like the temple to the southwest).
- It would be great if Scardale mobs always loaded with their equipment, not just once per reboot.
- Might make sense to provide a new player with a few key pointers, like using "ask" for quests. The newbie help guide book didn't help me personally (although might be useful for total new mudder).

It's really just those key things that I noticed. Scardale is an awesome zone and a great way to introduce new players to the game, but it may not be seeing its full potential because I don't know that new players know where to go to find appropriate mobs, or understand how to take advantage of the quests. If these simple things were addressed, I think it would provide an even more enjoyable / motivating experience for new people.

Anyway, thanks again for all the help thus far, and I hope this feedback is of some use!

V

[Adriorn Darkcloak]

Good suggestions btw. And remember, ask as much as you want in game :)