Improving experience for new players.

[Agent L]

Because current test server patch introduces some gameworld changes, and they are being explained as "making wastelands more accessible to low/mid-lvl characters", I believe devs want to improve "noob experience.
However, in my opinion, messing up with high-lvl players experience is entirely wrong thing to do. Not because high-lvl experience is perfect, but because access to Wastelands is the least of new players problems.

In my opinion, greatest NC asset in welcoming new players are old players. In my experience brand new players are often shocked how helpful the community is and how noone even tries to bash them for using HELP chat the way it was meant for. Well, maybe noobs came from DOTA, maybe old players are too bored with endgame and have no better things to do than help them. But every time someone proves himself to not have a clue over public channel, usually few capped chars race each other to help the noob with tons of cash, starter items and most importantly good advice.
This is the biggest thing NC has, a real human to human interaction MMORPGs exist for and something no game mechanics can ever match.

Statement:
The way NC is designed, makes noobs entirely dependent on high level players to res and cst new weapons for them.
Mostly because of the relationship between weapon TL and xp gained creates constant need of new guns and the shop quality means they have to be csted. Also the availability of huge amounts of useless guns (eg. freezers) is nothing but a n00b trap only vet's advice can help avoid.

Any attempts on making noobs life easier should focus on bringing them closer tradeskillers. Anything too far from player activity hubs is simply useless to average noob, a wasted dev's time and most likely harm to the endgame for no good reason. The DoY fiasco had proven that splitting the community to create more tradeskilling hubs is not possible even with pop counts ten times current. Therefore:
Noobs belong to Plaza 1

I would like to present few things I've learned over the years that in my opinion are obstacles in fully enjoying NC as soon as possible. Things that could be removed quite easily to iron out the experience.

1) Area MC5
The very existence of this thing contradicts the Statement as well as the MMORPG genre. It's function is no other than to separate noobs from vets. Current pop count makes the situation even worse.
Area MC5 offers noobs nothing the big world can't. Even mr Jones missions mostly duplicate MC5 functionality in making players familiar with the game. However portraying leaving MC5 as one-way ticket creates false value which some people try to cling to.
Solution:
- remove Area MC5, make noobs start in their apts.

2) Chat system
The chat system (F1 window) is not an easy and user friendly one. People have trouble understanding how to use HELP chat, and the muting/unmuting of channels adds confusion. If there is one single tutorial that would help most, it's "how to use F1" tutorial. Because from this point other players can answer all questions - IF the noob manages to ask them.
Solutions:
- reduce number of CUSTOM sub-channels by reintegrating TRADE. Same with SERVICE.
- unmute all CUSTOM sub-channels by default. The pop is small enough to make it look even quieter.
- stop "you have to select something to use CUSTOM chat". Remove ability to deselect sub-channels list. There is absolutely no reason for this, one sub-channel always has to be active. Make it autoselect one (I vote for OOC) if it can't be done in another way
- rename CUSTOM to GLOBAL. It's something vets won't like, but for a noob "custom" means nothing, "global" explains everything.
- speaking on a channel should unmute it automatically, both CUSTOM and it's sub-channel
- maybe think about language-specific channels, which I believe both Proud-to-speak-German and German-haters would appreciate much. It's not mine idea and I didn't thought about it much, but its seems harmless.

2) OZ Complex and other unfriendly starter apts
I recognise the need of OZ Complex. It was necessary to transfer all DoY apts to some reasonable place.
But what does it teaches new players now? That apt is in some remote, dangerous place, virtually useless and unused.
Solutions:
- return FA and TG starter apts to their native environment, mark CM,FA,TG as "advanced player factions", remove mr Jones missions for these factions.
- mark all factions starting outside city (Plaza, Via, PP) as "not recommended for new players". Let's face it, OZ is not exactly noob friendly place with easy access to Plaza1
- maybe make ALL NC-based factions (that is all except CM/FA/TG) start in Plaza1 as a temporary solution.
The point is a noob should create a toon, come out of his apt and immediately run into other players.

3) GR Activation
I've met a player who wasn't even a n00b, yet he forgot to look for "Activate" button. The NC2 interface is not exactly clean one and it's hard at times to tell a button apart from decoration. With the "move up" and "move down" buttons, there is absolutely no reason why GR should not be activated by simply clicking it first time.
Also the GR activation fee of 150nc is laughable. It's not any barrier for anyone capable of taking out Small Sewer Rat. Vets well know the value of tagged GR far outweighs the cost, however a noob may hesitate spending his hard earned 150nc. Therefore the fee should be removed.
Solutions:
- remove the 150nc GR activation fee.
- make GR activation automatic on first click, without having to click the "Activate" button

4) LoMs
If anyone have never tried to use LoMs as a 0/3 let me tell you how it works: You lose whole level every pop, that is you can never gain free point. A noob does not understand how LoMs should work, therefore he continues to pop them inevitably ending up at 0DEX. OFC the message "Your skill DEXTERITY have increased" does not help.
- change the levelup message from "Your skill %s have increased, new level is %d" to "Your skill %s have changed, new level is %d"
- change the xp penalty used by LoMs on low levels. If that's not possible without messing up high levels, add a minimal requirement of level 20 or so.

[Cursed Shadow]

I completely agree with every one of these points.

Only changes:

Crahn, Tsunami, BD, should have PP appys.
Please not Outzone, in any shape or form, you'll try to run to the subway and get taken out by Dragon's Wrath.

When you enter Neocron as a anew character:

The first mission you should have, which you should not be able to Terminate and your Navray should be enabled by default for:

"Tag the Main GR"

CM should be to tag MB GR.
FA to tag TH GR
Canyon to tag main Canyon GR.
All others should be Plaza 1 GR

I do not believe Canyon Facility has venture warps. That needs to be addressed, all other main locations have this feature.

I think the entire Tutorial should be re-written in the actual live game rather than a special tutorial area.

Perhaps another basic mission, prevalent in most games which makes you go to different shops/key areas.

[Torg]

i had expressed my thoughts in another thread - in general i believe the NC newbie experience (while skipping MC5) is quite good, with a little help from experienced players. all we need to make clear to new players is: dont stop asking.

[Agent L]

5) vehicles
Currently there are only 2 cars that provide shielding to occupants: Rhino and ATC (and I am not sure about last one). This makes jeep and reveler pretty much useless, because if you don't have a passenger, you're still better on a Jones' Quad.
Solutions:
- bring back driver & passenger protection to Jeep/Reveler/DoY Jeep
- pick one of them (usual jeep I suggest), lower reqs for driver, lower dmg&reqs for gunner: make this "noob's car to experience wastelands". By the way it'll bring some usability of cars back.

[Agent L]

6) starter professions.
Currently they are quite misguiding, with giving res to a ctor and vice versa. Also professions are not describes as easy (like soldier) and difficult (like engineer).
- Change the skill assignments to something more useful.
- change class descriptions to correct ones. Current ones eg suggest that a SPY may overcome STR problems which we all know is not the case. State explicitly that PE is the easiest char at start but extremely difficult at endgame. Describe GenTank as the dmg dealer, because normal ppl think Tank is a tanking class.
- Mark few professions as recommended for new players and make them default (soldier being my vote)
- Make certain classes default for certain professions, like Tank for soldier, Spy for Assassin, etc and mark other classes as "not recommended" like Monk for researcher.
- Mark some professions, especially tradeskiller as "for advanced players". Because let's say it, cst or res are no jobs for a noob.

[William Antrim]

Make the NCPD Mission requirement to kill ALL of the Dragons Wrath guards and not leave any alive. Also make it spawn only 2 additional guards not 4 additional.

Make the mission easier on the Runner running it but also not have them leave the "trash" behind post mission. Sorted. Easier to do that than to worry about redesigning the noob experience.

[Trivaldi]

Dragon's Wrath aren't an issue in R#184.

http://forum.neocron-game.com/showth...TS-Patch-Notes

[AlvaroT]

From a view of total newbie like me, I feel that something need to be done with interface. Tiny font and buttons are not very newbie friendly, also chat should be switched to /help as default. Help tips text ( the [?] button in rpos) need to be completed or each stat/attribute should have separate help button. Hometerm/CityCom Neocronicle and Guides section are empty, would be good to write something there.

NavRay need to be fixed as in one sector (Plaza 3 I believe) it points to the shop, no matter what location you choose. In Outzone it dont work as it should, drawing straight line to the target ignoring obstacles.

Weapons should show in info what damage it does with current player stats.

I cant say much about vehicles, but I was happy as fuck when I bought motorcycle. Looks and feel awesome, but sliding off the terrain breaks the immerse of driving it.

I would be glad if NC would get sharper textures some day

[El Sid]

The leveling path of the noob experience for NC always bothered me. We can ignore the rep a rhino, or buy and turn in tl150 cubes because an actual new player wont know what the hell those are, so lets stick with things to kill.

At the moment it goes sewer rats/spiders (unless your a tank or instantly find a group)>aggressors>launchers>warbots/firemobs/other higher level crap people shoot. That is relatively fine until you reach the point you can kill launchers. Were to people all go to kill them? MB bunker at the complete opposite end of the map! To me that is just stupid. I know there are launchers in some storage cellars within OZ but they are rarely if ever used and I'm sure there are many reasons for this. Spawns too spread out compared to the bunker? Few people know they exist? Whatever the reason it just strikes me as a bit dumb that people advocate sending new players to the same spot while complaining that half the world is unused.

For me making better use of some OZ zones (or even Ind. sectors) for mid level content would help with something Agent L advocates, and that's keeping new players close to plaza 1. I totally agree with this as for me the wastelands should be a dangerous place were things will mess your shit up. I'm not saying new runners have no place there, but it shouldnt be so easy for me to cross the world on foot with no trouble. At the moment I can run, not drive or be driven) a low level runner from NC to TH or MB with little to no issues, and thats not even exclusively using roads (which are supposed to be safer now - someone forgot to tell them that in C_11). I'll concede that getting to TG canyon is a different story and to be honest I havent tried that in a while but I know that others have. My point is that making low to mid level journey across the dangerous (but not really) wastelands to continue leveling is counter intuitive. I know some people look down on a linear progression for leveling zones but surely you want to get your players through the crappy lower levels at a reasonable rate to add more PvP fodder to the world and for me anyway a clear, somewhat signposted early leveling experience would help this. Relying on the game community for help is great and should continue to be encouraged, but it shouldnt be your only go to resource for new player assistance.

I'm not advocating holding the hands of newer runners to guide them softly softly through the early to mid levels, but at the same time it also shouldnt be a "fuck you, go ask someone else" experience which can be just as frustrating for a player. Maybe add some launcher "nests" within OZ/Ind that have comparable spawn rate and laucnher spread to the MB bunkers, but add some flavour text in the missions logs advising runners of approximate locations to these nests. You can guide them to with without relying on a massive neon arrow sign.

I'm completely biased by my love of OZ sectors. They are used for the odd smuggler and epic run npcs and precious little else, they can be an absolute pain in the arse to navigate (i have on more than one occasion killed myself just to get out after getting lost in my early NC days - not all new runners know were to find OZ interconnecting maps) but it's such a great place. The crumbling ruined outskirts of a once great city, now home to a mix of human detrious and scum facing a increasing instrusion of mutants, freaks and killer plants (!). Use that shit better, it has always had so much wasted potential and I hate, hate, hate seeing it go to waste.

[Agent L]

[...]That is relatively fine until you reach the point you can kill launchers. [...]

IMHO someone ready for launchers is no longer a total newb. My thread was more focused on ppl who have no idea where rats are and why default weapon is bad.

[...]I'm completely biased by my love of OZ sectors. [...] Use that shit better, it has always had so much wasted potential and I hate, hate, hate seeing it go to waste.

I'm completely on your side here. Devs should focus on making one part of the gameworld complete instead of jumping across the world.
After all, Canyon, TH and MB are just one of factions each, totaling grand three.
City is NINE.
It's harsh, but the effort should go where most will benefit, not few.

[Torg]

the OZ (including IND A) is a perfect low-mid area, comparable to MB-bunker, it has everything up to cyclops. but it requires honest exploration efforts, which is a pain for non-exploring types. this could be helped by putting in signs and directions "to pepper park >>", "to outzone station>>", etc.

[Jack Slater]

I like the idea of improving the early game experience. I once assisted a friend playing NC for the first time and recognized soon that my levelspots need too much effort/knowledge to get to or need AE to be fun for a starter.

All I could think of that was easy enough to reach was:
Rat Missions in P3 sewers
Mutants in the Maze
Aggresso Missions in P2

Pretty much the boring standard. I know about OZ4 or Spider Queen but those need knowledge of the Outzone, AE-Damage and experience in "benefit from environment". So I tried to seek for more spots and noticed that most of the sewers and cellars are just full of tiny spiders/bees/roaches. Sure these are the first mobs a real noob needs but why do three sewers next to each other (P2 in front of JobCenter) contain the same level of mobs?
I think about diffrent stages of sewers/cellars/storages that could be spread in PP/P/VR.

Level 1 Sewer:
Mobs: Spiders/Rats
Elite: Plants
Trash: Roaches/Bees

Level 2 Abandone Room:
Mobs: Shocker Beggars/Uzi Beggars
Elite: Rifle Beggars
Trash: Rabid Dogs

Level 3 Storage:
Mobs: Melee Mutants/Nailgun Mutant
Elite: Mutant Corporal
Trash: Mutated Dogs

Level 4 Cellar:
Mobs: Aggressor Captain/Aggressor
Elite: Cyclopse
Trash: Flamer Mutant

Sorry when im not too sure about mob names and ranks. Its just a quick idea I had but I'd like to see something like that happen to all the "dungeons" in the city. Maybe a workover is already planned cause I read about the caves in the canyon?