Calypso Gateway - Helping or Hurting

Do you believe it is helping or hurting?

  • Yes, we need older players there to greet them.

    Votes: 84 39.8%
  • No it does its job.

    Votes: 51 24.2%
  • I don't know.

    Votes: 63 29.9%
  • Other, I will post...

    Votes: 13 6.2%

  • Total voters
    211
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Posts
694
Location
Genesis.TowerE.G3
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Avatar Name
The White Dot
Please understand I am not slamming the project ( nor do I want others to ) but I have a bit of genuine concern.

I believe the facility is great, but I think not allowing old users to be there when a player logs in is a mistake. You can automate the system all you like, but when you take the people out of the equation the experience will always be, less personal.

I have noticed a recent trend @ swamp, absence of newcomers, atleast not like they were when I started, and not like they were before the gate way was built according to a couple of older players I have spoken to.

I think it is contributed to the following:

- Players enter and leave, making the gateway seem empty.
- None of the older users are there to assist with possible tech difficulty.
- There are issues you just can't resolve with prefabricated learning system.
- We all hate answering machines, why put one in for a tutorial area.
- If they don't understand the tutorial they quit or get bored and quit.
- Many of them never even learn most of the subjects and just skip it.


I don't know the solution, but I really believe a good intention has paved a problematic learning highway by division of old players from the new in their first walking steps.

While it was useful to teach me how to spend my ped, it wasn't useful in teaching me on how to enjoy the game, or play smart.

Cheers,

Dot


Suggestions said:
- Wollogong suggested mentors/veterans able to hang out in bar to speak with newcomers.
- Goni suggested reputation/mentor stat requirements for access to Gateway


Summary of Pro's & Con's said:
These are provided by thread participants and listed here.

Pros:
- users learn the basics
- calm learning environment
- no trade/spam

Cons:
- No veteran players to help
- No immediate sense of community
- Equipment sometimes breaks before quests are finished
- Players sometimes quit out before ever making it to PA
- Not personal & boring
- Unable to see results of what is achievable through time and dedication
- Alt accounts, detouring players from trying game.

Previous Related Discussions said:
 
Last edited:
Wait Wait Wait,

WE all have been bugging FPC to make a Tutorial System. They made a tutorial planet which prettys explains everything up to the basics stuff (leaving the real mentoring to the players like eco)

And now you say you dont want it ???

Newbies wanted a tutorial System and this was asked a lot during the Guide Periode.The current Gateway gives a good impression how the systems work and ppl can also see that this is not a game to get rich fast.

I chatted with a lot of newbies after the gateway and they said the enjoyed it and know a bit more then dropping from a spaceship and dont even know what to do

It is up to you and me , us players that is, to show the newbie how to enjoy this game ! No a single game system can take over a whole community. But the Gateway gives a good overview of the different systems out there
 
Wait Wait Wait,

WE all have been bugging FPC to make a Tutorial System. They made a tutorial planet which prettys explains everything up to the basics stuff (leaving the real mentoring to the players like eco)

And now you say you dont want it ???

I don't recall every saying it is unwanted, but the lack of public access to it is a bad idea in my opinion. Sure MA fears spammers, and trade channel over whelming a newcomer. Resolution to that disable trade chat @ gateway, and ban the spammers.

I think it is a good idea to have older players there to greet new people and help them out through the process.
 
From a Noob that just did the Gateway on Monday, I have the following thoughts:

I come from a background of playing a lot of MMORPGs with a lot of quests and hand-holding. The Gateway quests were easy to figure out and familiar to what I have played in other games in the past. It introduced me nicely to hunting, mining, and crafting.

The biggest problem I had was trying to figure out how to actual use a recipe in the crafting machine.

I did, however, notice only a few other people in the game. And they all looked exactly like me.

Without those introduction missions, I believe I would have been overwhelmed if they dropped me into PA without having done the Gateway. At the same time, it might have been cool to see more veteran players running around in fancy armor answering questions, as I did see other noobs asking question, which I had no idea the answer.

Just my two PECs, hope it helps.
 
From a Noob that just did the Gateway on Monday, I have the following thoughts:

I come from a background of playing a lot of MMORPGs with a lot of quests and hand-holding. The Gateway quests were easy to figure out and familiar to what I have played in other games in the past. It introduced me nicely to hunting, mining, and crafting.

The biggest problem I had was trying to figure out how to actual use a recipe in the crafting machine.

I did, however, notice only a few other people in the game. And they all looked exactly like me.

Without those introduction missions, I believe I would have been overwhelmed if they dropped me into PA without having done the Gateway. At the same time, it might have been cool to see more veteran players running around in fancy armor answering questions, as I did see other noobs asking question, which I had no idea the answer.

Just my two PECs, hope it helps.

Thank you, Gubben. Your post is much appreciated, good to hear your perspective as it gives us eyes into whats going on.
 
I don't recall every saying it is unwanted, but the lack of public access to it is a bad idea in my opinion. Sure MA fears spammers, and trade channel over whelming a newcomer. Resolution to that disable trade chat @ gateway, and ban the spammers.

I think it is a good idea to have older players there to greet new people and help them out through the process.

Maybe try and stand at the Port Atlantis TP then to greet them ?

Oh and it is FPC not MA

And about veteran players greeting them ( i know where this is going too) FPC said that they will review the Gateway and if it works like they wanted it to work or give certain ppl acces.
 
Maybe try and stand at the Port Atlantis TP then to greet them ?

If a player is having issues, and the tutorial isn't able to solve their problems, they will likely log before finding PA.

Oh and it is FPC not MA

Ok, so FPC is afraid of spammers/traders, not MA. My apologies, with respect it is starting to annoy me that you have started to correct me on small and irrelevant technicalities due to personal issues you are starting to develop with me.

Please keep it out of thread and public, if you don't like how I am trying to help or how I go about it Faye.


And about veteran players greeting them ( i know where this is going too) FPC said that they will review the Gateway and if it works like they wanted it to work or give certain ppl acces.

That is great information, maybe we could hear from Hanne on the topic, maybe they are starting to develop a decision on the matter of older players having access to the gateway.
 
There may be something to what the Dot has said.

Think back to the days when the NAZ was at PA... before Simon and Emma had built the Official Guide Love Shack (tm), or had even spawned... I know that when I spawned PA was still the place that some merchants that specialized in newcomer specific items plied their wares around the TP, the boxes, etc. What I think is the important part of looking at that time is that when I stepped off the ramp of the shuttle, I could hear those people (ok, see the public chat... LOL) selling things, asking questions, giving answers, etc. In other words, I knew that I was standing on the outskirts of a community of some kind. On my first visit, there was nobody on the tarmac to assist me with figuring out such basic things as public chat, navigation, etc. I actually made it to the MA virtual office on the second floor of the RDI building by forward and side-stepping before I discovered how to turn my avatar! My point is: without Official Guide, Extended Guide, or volunteer helpful people around to greet the new immigrants to Calypso, there is nothing to give them a feel for the large community they now have the opportunity to join.

Perhaps if the New New Arrival Zone was accesible to seasoned colonists, some of this might be alleviated?

Another part of that immersive exerience that I feel is now missing was the "babble" we could hear as someone was typing in chat. It was another subtle cue that the participant is not alone on a virtual planet, there are others present and nearby, going about whatever it is they are doing.

AG
 
Please keep it out of thread and public, if you don't like how I am trying to help or how I go about it Faye.

huh, ?

You said MA is scared for scammers/spammers and it seems you thought MA made the Gateway. FPC made the gateway and like should get all the credit for it. There are a lot of players having the issues to seperate FPC and MA so theirfor I yes correct ppl on it.

And about personal issues ? Srry but if you go starting saying in public i have issues with you (which I dont) then you are the one going off topic. Might want to re-check your views on that about me.


Now if you want to get Ontopic.

I like to hear FPC also if the Guide Program or something similair comes back. I had much fun in doing it and miss the old gang. If Marco e-mails me now and asked to trade in all my gear to become a guide then i would do it in a sec. Without a reward what so ever. I loved it
 
T My point is: without Official Guide, Extended Guide, or volunteer helpful people around to greet the new immigrants to Calypso, there is nothing to give them a feel for the large community they now have the opportunity to join.

Perhaps if the New New Arrival Zone was accesible to seasoned colonists, some of this might be alleviated?

AG

In the Guide program we brought this to the attention of FPC. They would review it after the summer. So maybe in the future it comes back. Or not and we just help the newbies from the Port Atlantis Teleport and with a bit of luck mentor system will get back so that anybody can help newbies.
 
And about personal issues ? Srry but if you go starting saying in public i have issues with you (which I dont) then you are the one going off topic. Might want to re-check your views on that about me.

Now if you want to get Ontopic.


Wow faye... :(,

Like I said sorry I made the mistake, but would much rather you send it to my pm box instead of correcting me out in public, as I would be more than happy to fix anything I say wrong.
 
Nothing wrong with the gateway being implemented - it's something thats been LONG overdue, and yes we've harassed MA/FPC to make it! So it's great it's finally here and allows newbies to get a taste for the game and answers basic gameplay questions.

However it is a little unreasonable to prevent people going back up there. I can see it from FPCs point of view, where the gateway ends up being like the old Atlantis with trade spam, people farming disciples etc. It's supposed to be a quiet place for new players to get their bearings before heading into the "real game", rather than the gateway merely being an extension / another location in the game.

Just think it'd be nice to allow players who've been on Calypso for a few years the opportunity to go back and help. Adds that human element to it, and allows people to help fix technical issues or any problems not covered in the tutorial.
 
Wow faye... :(,

Like I said sorry I made the mistake, but would much rather you send it to my pm box instead of correcting me out in public, as I would be more than happy to fix anything I say wrong.

Might want to start sending me a PM what is bothering you as I am not the one doing this public actually. You have my SKype, Ingame, EF and MSN... what is holding you back ?

Oh and I correct ppl on forums because I somethings get annoyed about the whole FPC /MA thing ... sue me :) .
 
Might want to start sending me a PM what is bothering you as I am not the one doing this public actually. You have my SKype, Ingame, EF and MSN... what is holding you back ?

Once again wow Faye... :(
 
Just think it'd be nice to allow players who've been on Calypso for a few years the opportunity to go back and help. Adds that human element to it, and allows people to help fix technical issues or any problems not covered in the tutorial.

I agree on that. Tho I have the feeling there are already some ppl helping up there.
 
I don't know the solution, but I really believe a good intention has paved a problematic learning highway by division of old players from the new in their first walking steps.

While it was useful to teach me how to spend my ped, it wasn't useful in teaching me on how to enjoy the game, or play smart.

Cheers,

Dot[/QUOTE]

I agree with you. The old mentor system was best. The mentors helped keep new players in the game, long term.
 
I voted other.

And feel rather embarrased that the weapons and tools they use in the Gateway could break before they finished the missions.

Several threads has allready described the bad situation. That is not a warm welcome from MA/FPC. Quite the opposite:(

I think they should make all weapons and tools unbreakable and instead strip it off them when they choose to tp to Port Atlantis.
 
I voted other.

And feel rather embarrased that the weapons and tools they use in the Gateway could break before they finished the missions.

Several threads has allready described the bad situation. That is not a warm welcome from MA/FPC. Quite the opposite:(

I think they should make all weapons and tools unbreakable and instead strip it off them when they choose to tp to Port Atlantis.

A well made point coach, thanks for the valuable input!
 
Just thought I'd link to this thread about the gateway:

https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/...7547-gun-broke-starting-zone.html#post2560631

The (L) guns breaking before finishing the mission and not being able to teleport down due to missions being incomplete. I assume the "are all missions complete?" check is new - certainly wasn't aorund when the gateway was open to all. This is a situation right now where a new player is stuck and awaiting a reply from support to move them to Atlantis. Opening up the gateway to veterans would at least allow one of us to go up and give the guy a low TT gun / ammo to finish the mission.

Yeah, it's dodgy coding that'll probably be fixed at some point, but the above is an example nonetheless.




EDIT: Oh, someone beat me to it. I need to type faster. :(
 
I don't think luck of older players is disadvantage however I think the current concept when you talk to machines is rather poor (saying this I got in front of my eyes Arnold saying "talk to the hand"). It is just impersonal, boring and was OK in 90s.

I would make a tutorial where some voice is guiding new players, building the atmosphere of robot wars, explaining how to do things and forcing them to get to know every single activity. It could be exactly same scenario for every single gamer thats fine as long as it is exciting, fun and not boring. Well at least this is how I see it.
 
I think they should make it tie into the event / reputation system. A person wants to go there and help they click something to go, New players that find them helpful given a +rep button they can click on for that helpful player or a -rep for useless

Then block persons with bad reputations from going in there or something.
 
would be interesting for new players to have a look at more skilled players to see what they can become if they get out into the "real" game
 
The OP now has a summary of pros/cons from you guys that you are posting.
 
My 2pec:
The very steep learning curve when entering EU made it near to impossible to get into without a mentor.
After the mentor system vanished it soon became clear that something had to be done and the guide program was an emergency solution to help people understand the basics.
Now with the gateway the basic introduction is available and I especially like how the equipment breaks so fast, as this will give newcomers a realistic outlook of what to expect from the game (just a quip towards FPC ;) ).

Now a new mentor system should be geared for long-term retention of players.
What I imagine is something like a second arrival zone where the social aspects like societies, friends and getting a mentor are intertwined with some sorts of quests, which later on will lead over into quests like the TP run quests.
 
My 2pec:
The very steep learning curve when entering EU made it near to impossible to get into without a mentor.
After the mentor system vanished it soon became clear that something had to be done and the guide program was an emergency solution to help people understand the basics.
Now with the gateway the basic introduction is available and I especially like how the equipment breaks so fast, as this will give newcomers a realistic outlook of what to expect from the game (just a quip towards FPC ;) ).

Now a new mentor system should be geared for long-term retention of players.
What I imagine is something like a second arrival zone where the social aspects like societies, friends and getting a mentor are intertwined with some sorts of quests, which later on will lead over into quests like the TP run quests.


I think these are all good points, do you think the revamp of the swamp camp is likely the candidate for the 2nd arrival zone?

But what about players that never make it to PA?

Btw I agree it is good for the newcomers to see the realism of equipment decay. Maybe not so good if that can't complete quest though.
 
One of the thinks that I really enjoyed when I started to play this game was that we were dropped in PA with almost no aid, it make the game very real.

Just imagine that you are on a trip to the new world and all you have are the cloths in your body, that's what PE felt like to me. I'm a stranger in a strange world.


But now we have the Gateway, that should help all noobs feel more welcome and explain the game but....

I finally got my GF to start playing a couple months ago, I helped her with the gateway, explained everything to her. The Gateway was very boring to her, she didn't find any resources, didn't craft any filters and didn't find any loot. Eventually she asked when she was going to meet my avatar, so I took her to the teleporter. Once she got to PA I took her to the swamp camp and she loged off. She never played the game again.
 
I finally got my GF to start playing a couple months ago, I helped her with the gateway, explained everything to her. The Gateway was very boring to her, she didn't find any resources, didn't craft any filters and didn't find any loot. Eventually she asked when she was going to meet my avatar, so I took her to the teleporter. Once she got to PA I took her to the swamp camp and she loged off. She never played the game again.

Exactly my fear.
 
Well, since we had the guide program, recognized and thankfully awarded by FPC, wouldn't it be feasible if a new twist gave them and them only the ability to travel back and forth to the gateway?

This way people that FPC already trusts, and for good reason, would be the ones to make "first contact" with the new players.
 
Well, since we had the guide program, recognized and thankfully awarded by FPC, wouldn't it be feasible if a new twist gave them and them only the ability to travel back and forth to the gateway?

This way people that FPC already trusts, and for good reason, would be the ones to make "first contact" with the new players.

*dusts off old Guide Jacket*

Ready ... can I already go now ?
 
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