"Helping"?
How much help is too much? At what point does 'helping' actually detract from a player's enjoyment, rather than enhancing it? Certainly it makes it easier, but easier isn't always better. People tend to appreciate things they've worked for more than they do things that are handed to them on a plate.
Back when the game started, everything was much harder than it is now. Nobody had bulk items or resources stored away so that they could make things for others at a moments notice, there weren't lots of high level players who could get whatever you wanted in a few minutes - we each had to go out and find the things we needed for ourselves. We spent weeks sometimes hunting for comps, scouring connies for orbs and the few dyes that were available, then had to find someone who was able to make what we wanted and sometimes even had to supply the bricks or boards. But when we finally got our new item, it was worth it. We'd be so excited that we'd tell our friends about it and link the new item and they'd be really pleased for us too - it was a real accomplishment. Do you think new players today get that same feeling of excitement? Particularly those in guilds.
My question, particularly to guilds, is how much help do you give members? Hand them everything they need at all levels? Lots of help at low levels and then they're on their own? What form does help take? Do you give them all the items they need, or give them the resources to make their own items? Do you supply certain items, but other items they have to get for themselves? Do they have to supply all resources and comps, but you'll make everything they need for them? Do you store everything they could ever need and they simply go through and take what they need, like a supermarket but it's all free?
What about hoard? These days it's much easier to get than when we ('we' being really long term players) started. Tier 1 drops start at 100, and hoard req for level 1 is also 100 - that means with 1 drop a new hatchie is already at or above cap for his level. At level 10 the req is 1000. Remember how good you felt each time you reached the hoard cap for your level? If you "help" a hatchie by giving him just 2 T5 hoard items (which will be at least 24k) then you just met all his hoard reqs up til level 21 - how thrilled is he going to be with those T1 drops now? Did you really help him, or did you actually rob him of the pleasure of hitting all those hoard levels? Meanwhile, there are plenty of mid to high level dragons struggling to reach cap who'd really appreciate a few higher tier items.
I've seen so many players come into the game in the last year, rave about how much they like it, level up, get everything they need, including a plot built, all done in a few months, due to all the 'help' they get and then they're gone. Sounds like all that "help" they got simply served to drive them out of the game.
My guild has reached a point where we have just about everything in stock that a player needs at any level - even a lot of teched items that others have outgrown. Right now we're discussing what exactly we should keep on hand and what we should stop holding and let players find for themselves. I'd really appreciate input from others as to what your guild does, and how well you think your system works.
Originally Posted by AA0
