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Fonline as any MMO?

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Wind_Drift:
I guess whether it's a good idea or not depends on what the goal is.  FOnline IS more harsh, but that's why I like it.  I understand that's why some DON'T like it.

If it's just a new player area where someone can learn the ropes in safety, I personally don't see a problem with it.  Some new players would find it helpful, I think.  The basics of resource gathering, crafting, and controls could easily be learned in such an area, and might prove helpful once a new player enters the big bad world outside.  At this point it really wouldn't help me much, so I'm indifferent.  It's not my game, either.

On the other hand, if the goal is to increase player population I don't think it would help in any noticeable way (and I very well could be wrong about this).  Whatever a players motivation for quitting, they will still encounter it in the rest of the game once they leave their padded safety room.  Be it PK's, thieves, or dying in encounters at low levels, all of these things will still be present.  Also the fact remains, that some people simply won't like the game.  It happens.

If (BIG if) it was my server and someone convinced me to implement a noob area, I would probably do it along these lines:

- Small map, about 5x5 in size that contains all the features in the game world.  Have it include ruins, desert, and mountainous regions.  This way you could learn to navigate the map, gather resources, and also have encounters with low level critters for XP and resources.

- A normal size town, maybe the size of Hub (not including Old Town, The Heights, etc).  It could be pretty basic with a few traders, a workbench and still, and maybe a few small quests.

- A small cave location that you can exit the noob area from permanently, and would spawn you near one of the normal starting towns in the game.

- You can take with you when you leave whatever you can carry, or some other type of weight/item count limit.  Be it hides, basic weapons/armor, or other resources.  This would be your starting items instead of meat jerky, cigarettes, a magazine and a flower. 

- At exit you can modify your build (but not the name/gender).  Specials, tags, and traits.  Helpful for anyone who has ever botched a build and didn't notice until an hour later, and had to remake.

- Cap it at level 3, so you can have one perk before you leave.  Any other XP gained in the noob area doesn't accrue, and to continue leveling you must exit.  This would prevent people from leveling to 21 in safety, and ensure that the only people still sticking around after level 3 are either trying to be helpful, or are not ready to leave yet.

- Instead of dying, respawning with an empty inventory, and having to walk back to wherever, I would consider having a 60 second "time out" where you are knocked out, and then teleported in a weakened state back to the main town with your full inventory.  FA and DOC cooldowns apply, you just don't lose your items.  Players cannot loot other players when they are unconscious, and you cannot use "steal" to take items.  At worst, you could get 60 seconds down time and *shits in mouth*.  Maybe an insulting comment about your mother.

- NPC's near workbenches, and some mini-quests where you get dialog tutorials (or "ask for help") about certain things like using the fixboy, cutting fibers, using the still, chopping wood, mining, etc.  This was all confusing to me my first week.

The most important part is that it's optional.  If you don't want to play in that area you can skip it by simply exiting the map.  You can get a warning message asking if you're "Sure", a yes/no, and that's that.  Off to the big bad world where you can lose all the stuff you've worked for with a single bullet (ragequit optional).

avv:
Fonline has managed to persuade a good deal of players to play but many of them are just simply waiting for wipe. Those players alone are enough to populate the server. If you calculate the entire population playing 2238, requiem, tla and whatever servers there are we are talking about thousands. They too are potential players who aren't afraid of the harshness this game supposedly has.


--- Quote from: Wind_Drift on December 19, 2011, 07:43:15 AM ---The most important part is that it's optional.  If you don't want to play in that area you can skip it by simply exiting the map.  You can get a warning message asking if you're "Sure", a yes/no, and that's that.  Off to the big bad world where you can lose all the stuff you've worked for with a single bullet (ragequit optional).
--- End quote ---

I don't think it's necessary to make that tutorial map. New players don't quit because they don't know something but because they have setbacks where they die for some reason and lose items. I'd say the beginning is hardest part of the game because you have plain nothing. Best way to ease up this matter would be to help players to get 10 hides easier because once you can store items somewhere, you won't lose everything once you die. It's actually somewhat troubblesome for even good player to get the ten hides right in the beginning.

Rascal_:
I wrote it before ofcooz in suggestions that player should have temprorary "tent-like" starting place for his own.
Now when u entering the game u start in the basement/minning camp/tent   it should be visible for player as a tent-like place for lets say 7 days ? NPC inside should inform that he has to kick him out after those 7 days it should be cleary stated. (green dot dissapearing from WM)

This is the biggest rage factor (beside full loot system - which is great and shoulnd be touched btw) for newcomers. They start the game know absoletely nothing and lose ALL stuff over and over again couse they simply dont have a place to stash them. The start from scratch is to harsh. That idea wont kill the game like some crazy non-pvp till level 6 suggestions, it would just prevent a lot of players from ragequit/abandoning the game before even knowning it.

After those 7 days almost for sure they gona know how to make tent / rent a room so the transition would be smooth.

OskaRus:
I have realized that fonline players often miss the difference between harshness and unnescessary gaming or interface discomfort ad nonintuitivness.

Mostly discussed example of unintuitivness is that newbs are thrown to complete sandbox without slightest hint what to do. User interface also sucks but i believe devs are on the right way to make it functional, intuitive and comfortable to use.

On the other hand good examples of harshness (which i like in MMOs) is free PvP even on the world map and gangfigts over cities, PKing in the HQ mines and other resource areas.

There are other MMOs which are like hello kitty compared to Fonline. Like WoW with no full loot and no unvoluntary PvP. There are also "harsh" MMOs wih full loot, and free pvp in any place in game universe like EvE online (which i consider even harsher than fonline because on death you loose your complete ship and winner is able to loot only small fraction of your former equip though most of it is simply destroyed.) or old Ultima online. I think that fonline developers should look more on those other "harsh" projects to see which concepts and ideas work good in such environment and which concepts are dommed to oblivion.

Newbie starting in EvE is made pretty comfortable and intuitive because immediately after creating new char you are dragged into long series of quests both combat and industry related. Those quests show new player all basic concepts of the game but are easily skippable. New players aso start in "safe" area of game. That means PvP is possible here but attacking someone also means loosing your ship.(no stealing there, sucuide bursting is very expensive fun there)

Desert Mutt:
FOnline is a bad 2D shooter. ...I'm not trolling.
Current game mechanics and UI make it so.  :(

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