The game needs to be made ridiculously easier.. ..for newbies.

Didn't newbies used to start with equipment, and now they're naked? Can we get them some equipment? A container? Some MORT items that give all the things that the game is balanced around, like TELEK and damage reduction and high AC? Automagic night vision, see invis, and retina?

My thought is that the game needs to be much easier from 0-20 or 0-30. Automatic retrieval for mortals or something. Something to reduce the pain and confusion of death.

The goal needs to be making it as easy as possible so they can become involved in the story and in the social aspect of Tempus, so that when the game gets harder later (after all the MORT gear expires), they can handle the world.

Another idea would be remortalizing them with a secondary class right away. But seriously you gotta earn that.

I'm just thinking of ways to keep people here. If it were easier for newbies, I'd totally be plugging Tempus on something like Top Mud Sites. But as it is, I know they wouldn't survive an environment populated with idle gen 10s who are AFK.

Thoughts?

I just want to post here that I agree, although there are a few more pressing concerns right now (fixing bugs from the code change, and making the game more accessible to blind users, for example).

I think having special eq (telek, haste, etc.) would help a lot. Perhaps, instead of giving those items to newbies for free, make them go on a "quest" to achieve the item, so that they can find out through their interaction with PC's the important of the piece of eq that they're getting (so they learn, and not just take things for granted, or wonder why they attack so much slower when they remort).

it really is true, a newbie with no help has no chance, the replicator might as well give them lipstick so they can look pretty before they get fucked.

A few new people have commented on how slow and boring combat is, because the whole game is balanced around hitting 4x for ANNIHILATE. That doesn't mean every newbie gets tricked out, but I do wonder about changing the balance to make it less gear/buff-focused and more class- or innate-focused.

For example, HASTE is so important for newbies that the Festival even includes a quest to get a breastplate with HASTE on it. And I'm making up numbers here, but if it gives +20 SPEED, why not build 10 or 15 of that into players and make HASTE only +5 SPEED?

You'll still have a difference between bad gear and good gear, but it will be less.

Also the whole "can't recall after level 10" crap is silly, people are quitting left and right between level 10-15. Can we allow them to use it their entire "lives" as mortals?

There are a number of things that I think would make the newbie experience much better. Here are a few basics I've thought about.

1) GAME INTRO - Teaches players (with an option to skip) on character creation, the basics of the game and story (recalling and recall room, eat, language and channels, movement, autoloot, armor/weapons, training and basic use of abilities, wimpy, etc.)

2) RENT - Instead of rent, incentives to come back periodically. Bonus/rested exp is one example. No one needs a second job and combining this with the cost to remort makes you feel like you're not making progress –ESPECIALLY when you're new and not as familiar with the economy–. Honestly rent is the primary reason I don't play too much. It's just too annoying to go earn money when it's not any fun, and why am I playing this game if at least half of what I do isn't fun…?

3) RECALL -

Option 1 - Return should work until level 25. Then from lv 20-24 a line in a player's score and announcement when they level lets them know they should see a certain easy to find quest mob to find/receive a recall item.

—-OR—-

Option 2 - A recall spell that takes half of all mana and move (and can't be used in combat) which all players train in the intro sequence or can train from lv 1. Then newbies can recall even if they don't have an item, however players who prefer to avoid recovering mp and mv can use items or more efficient spells). I personally like this option much better of the two.

4) CHARACTER BASE STARTING HP - This should a single standard 50-100 higher than currently as a base for all classes on character creation regardless of CON. Then modifiers can add some hp depending on class and CON.

5) BASIC EQ - Every new character should start with some basic eq (and implants if they apply) that RELATES TO THEIR CLASS. Halfway decent AC Apply on newbie eq is needs to be mandatory.

6) PROJECT -

Get rid of it and bring back communicator radios/crystals/implants for those who want to chat in groups (across clan borders) without being heard by newbies.

—-OR—-

Make it turned off by default for newbies, they find out about it later but don't have to remort to use it.

7) THIS GAME IS MEANT TO BE FUN - Remember this when saying, for example "recalling should be harder not easier". Perhaps the recall should only be a once per half hour (displayed in SCORE), but lets try to think of solutions. If you shoot something down, offer an alternative that addresses the initial problem, if you don't your words are worth very little.

8) THANKS TO ALL IMMS AND PLAYERS - You make this game better with every line of code, exp run, chatting in gossip, and more.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but these changes could make a big difference to new players.

I forgot to add a very important issue:

9) DEATH - Options -

A) Something to make this less harsh, perhaps a flat recall fee or no recall fee but a % damage to all eq.

OR

B) You respawn with all your eq except 1-2 random slots that drop their eq to the ground or in a corpse. No corpse recalling needed (but a bonus if you know or are a cleric).

I think most of this stuff is totally unnecessary. I do agree that there could be a better intro but it cant be all long and story crap because no one wants to sit through that. I don’t really think there is anything wrong with rent now that you don’t rent purge your stuff. I guess if you do run out of money you end up in jail but Im pretty sure you can just walk out, I mean some parts of the game should be a challenge, that’s what makes it fun to me. There is absolutely no reason to do anything with the project channel, that doesn’t even make any sense. There is also no reason to change death, its not that bad, you die and go get your stuff or retrieve or ask someone for help, its not that big of a deal. I agree its too difficult for newbies but changing it into a cake walk is just as bad. Most of these problems could be fixed just by making the replicator give a decent set of eq. Give every newbie a 20 or 25 damroll and -200 ac set of all +mort eq that gives all the stuff you need to actually kill some stuff, see trans, dt invis, haste, etc. AC: 71, Thac0: 19, Hitroll: 0 (0), Damroll: 0, those are the stats I had after making a new char and putting on all the stuff the replicator gives, I mean that’s nuts, I dunno how anyone ever continues playing while wearing that crap. Rather than telling people that shoot down your ideas that their words mean very little, maybe you should get better ideas.

Im not sure what happened while cutting pasting that from Word…

Hey, I'm back!

Anyway, I think it'd be a lot better for newbies if good eq could be bought from ALL shops.

For example, weapons sold from Blacksteel that could actually deal decent damage.

I found the following post on a board in Modrian, and thought it was a nice idea:

Message 6 : Mon Apr 12 (Drstrange) :: LP penalty and deaths.

I just remeber a time when you would explore and try to kill mobs you hadn't encountered yet. sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, no real biggie.. sometimes when you loose, you could even be presistant and try them again.. but at the risk of loosing 4 or more lps per death that persistance and desire to explore, goes right out the window unless maybe you're a pretty tough charactor. certainly not very mort friendly though. Just a thought, but I'd definately cut the losses on lps for morts and low gens. morts should be encouraged to explore and learn. save the harsher penalties for gen 3 or 4 and higher. PEACE.

Something else that might be looked at is the gen 10 factor. If we want to remort more times after reaching gen 10, why do so for no gain? Perhaps some gain should be considered. Like +.5 SPEED, or higher starting stats (hp/mana/moves), etc. The 1 qp is nice, but that gets old after a while.

Perhaps we could even have options like super skills that can be combined (of course this would most likely take more code work than azi would like to do).. but it could be worth it for some coolness factor.