A solution to a problem that created another?

So we're all pretty happy about the new calypso gateway. Well today I was introducing a friend to Entropia and couldn't help but notice how boring the place actually seems now that the crowds of seasoned players are gone from it. The most excitement there is, is hunting with a very slow shooting weapon. IMO, I know that the cost to the RCE has to be minimal, but i'm pretty sure the gateway could be made a more epic experience without needing to change the stats on the mob or the gun (apart from fire rate).

Another way to increase excitement levels would be to have a trailer running for what is instore after the training grounds, I heard a new player state "This game sucks" before they'd even gotten to the planet. The teleporter isn't very easy to spot if you haven't played the game before, infact this new player thought the training ground was the whole game.

I do like the initiative, but as ever it needs improving. Before spawning the user should probably be forced to view a storyline intro, or a video explaining that they are being transported into the training grounds.

It's very understandable why a new player would think the gateway was the whole game, because it's all there is on the tiny map they have.

In my opinion the teleporter should be simplified so that theres a big obvious button saying "teleport to planet". Before the gateway new people had trouble working the teleporter for the first time, so with no possibility of help from another human then that would be a critical quitting point.

I've had past experiences with other MMO's where I couldn't figure out how to get out of tutorial zones and ended up simply uninstalling the game, the reason I didn't do this with EU is because I arrived back in the old arrivals zone which was a specified location for older players to give advice.

I think FPC did a great job with the much needed tutorial island, so I ask before things get any worse: please maintain it and don't let it backfire in the long run.

tbh, I really understand the new players. EU is hard to truly understand at all, but people used to get into a crowded place like PA and had a taste of it...
Now they stand in PA, there's usually only few players there, half AFK even, all is overwhelming and people don't feel bitten by the EU bug... they leave

A few of us pointed out the issues with the arrival area and with no help at hand to explain things then it can become very confusing.

MA and FPC have always shied away from following the crowd and going their own way, E for jump for instance and space for cursor toggle (took me ages to work out when I started why I wasn't turning when I moved my mouse).

Even getting to the options isn't straightforward, most games have it in a sub menu when hitting ESC.

Without the old players there, how do the new players even know to loot a mob or that you don't have to hold down the forward key to run. Or how to get mouse movement back when they've hit the button that almost every other game uses for jump.

At the moment they've got the engine but MA needs to allow the planet owners to use it fully by allowing them to write their own code (even if its only a scripted sandbox). They need more interaction between the user and the system to show how things work and if MA doesn't have the inclination to do it then they should let the PP's.

I think Marco confirmed that at the moment they don't have a context driven system to really make the experience really work. That really needs fixing.

Personally I think the mission broker system they've got isn't really suitable for the area. It's easy to miss a step or entirely, use all the ammo and bombs and then findout too late you should have done something else. It should only be about how move, shoot, use terminals, equip and unequip items, use storage and how to use the tp's and televators.

Well written and planned out, as a nooby I would probably find the same thing hard (If I was one )

on the first time i heard enhancer, i would have thought MA will bring reload enhancer..

well, tiering is bugged, so not that bad it doesn't, i would have been frustrated

SpikeBlack said:

A few of us pointed out the issues with the arrival area and with no help at hand to explain things then it can become very confusing.

MA and FPC have always shied away from following the crowd and going their own way, E for jump for instance and space for cursor toggle (took me ages to work out when I started why I wasn't turning when I moved my mouse).

Even getting to the options isn't straightforward, most games have it in a sub menu when hitting ESC.

Without the old players there, how do the new players even know to loot a mob or that you don't have to hold down the forward key to run. Or how to get mouse movement back when they've hit the button that almost every other game uses for jump.

At the moment they've got the engine but MA needs to allow the planet owners to use it fully by allowing them to write their own code (even if its only a scripted sandbox). They need more interaction between the user and the system to show how things work and if MA doesn't have the inclination to do it then they should let the PP's.

I think Marco confirmed that at the moment they don't have a context driven system to really make the experience really work. That really needs fixing.

Personally I think the mission broker system they've got isn't really suitable for the area. It's easy to miss a step or entirely, use all the ammo and bombs and then findout too late you should have done something else. It should only be about how move, shoot, use terminals, equip and unequip items, use storage and how to use the tp's and televators.

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You kow, sometimes I wonder why I bother with suggestions anymore. Maybe its because I still love Entropia for what it was, not necessarily how it's run. But I still make suggestions no matter how ignored by MA I feel.

Stutoman said:

You kow, sometimes I wonder why I bother with suggestions anymore. Maybe its because I still love Entropia for what it was, not necessarily how it's run. But I still make suggestions no matter how ignored by MA I feel.

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I think we just differ on opinion as to what a tutorial for a new player should be. Personally I think it should be as dumb as possible. Think about the start of Crysis where it talks you through how to move, jump, duck with basics on weaponry and the nano suit.

A new player to EU with no help from any existing players I believe wouldn't get much information from the current tutorial island and may need multiple visits if they're not a serious gamer or even none at all if they are.

I think it should be staged as the player progresses. Start with enough to get people from the starting area to the tp with some basic explanation of the controls and the terminals they'll find planet side. Let them get on with it at this point but add a tutorial terminal which allows them to access it again but on other themes e.g. hunting, mining and crafting rather than try to immerse them right off and dump them into a place with no one to answer questions if they get stuck (the point of a tutorial imo).

I agree! I have played since 2005 and when I went to the newbie island I got locked out of one of the missions. I didn't realize I needed to talk to someone else before shooting and mining things...

My 2nd MMO had a beginner zone that was remarkably similar to Calypso Gateway, and you could stay there till level 8 and still gain XP, but eventually you knew you had to leave and join the game 'proper'.


The newbie beginner zone is similar in that at least new players get to play the game 'proper' with a real gun and real mining equipment which was denied to brand new players until they'd forked over real money.

If a new player doesn't like the experience of the gateway, they probably wont like Entropia full stop, and so if they dont hit the teleporter over, they'd have probably quit in the first few hours previous to its existence anyway.

Most of us have tried out the gateway and found it favourable - I liked it, but I do agree there needs to be additional signposting with

TO MAIN PLANET V

anyone saying "this game sucks" on the trainer level should be ignored. they are the sort for which nothing is ever good enough and they are better than everyone or everything in the world, at the grand age of 14.

aridash said:

anyone saying "this game sucks" on the trainer level should be ignored. they are the sort for which nothing is ever good enough and they are better than everyone or everything in the world, at the grand age of 14.

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Yeh but this guy was saying this out of his experience on the gateway. If this is the kind of feedback that occurrs then shouldn't something be done about it? I don't know about you but theres seems to be less new players in the last few weeks.

After the gateway they just teleport down to PA, PA Mall or New Oxford (I think that was the one they get on Amertha). This means they might not end up in the right place for help, or explore Amertha which is less noob friendly than Eudoria.

I agree that FPC need to put a sign or a video before hand to say this is the training area not the real game.

Simple and effective

Rgds

Ace

Ace Flyster said:

I agree that FPC need to put a sign or a video before hand to say this is the training area not the real game.

Simple and effective

Rgds

Ace

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i dont understand that they even did not do that.
people are stupid in most cases , FPC should know that.
Oooo wright FPC is being run by people lol

Thought i'd bump this since it seems like a hot topic at the moment. Maybe the ideas in this thread will be noticed by FPC if it becomes a popular thread.

Yup, it needs to be made clear it's a training area - either with signs or an intro.

The movement key introduction could be cleverly written into the story too. Something like "After the robot attack on your shuttle to Calypso, your body has been recreated. Your first experience being resurrected does feel strange, and leaves you a little disorentated. To help overcome this and to make sure your recreation is functioning correctly, we should test to see if your basic actions are working before we release you."

Then things like "Press E to jump" or "Press W to walk forward" pop up. At the end, cover re-binding keys with a short speech such as "All things seem to check out, your recreation has been a complete success! Are you happy with your movement? If not press O, and recalibrate your movement"

Tying it into the story would be more immersive IMO, compared to just having basic movement keys displayed on a popup. This also hints to the player that they're in a training facility... then again, some people miss the subtle.