Zeroing in on what WE can do

[Aamer Khan]

In the last few weeks, many of us have been debating about what changes need to be made to help more people start playing Horizons, and stay.

Part of what has been discussed in these threads is now going to be put ingame by the Dev's. They also have revealed some of the fun features they are working on. TG is even doing game magazine advertizements! This really will helps calm fears and move the game forwards. Kudos to the Developers for these things :)

We have also been discussing what WE the players can do to assist the dev's in their efforts.

So far, some of the ideas put forth look like they have real promise.

A great example is Vahrokh's idea for a information and direction chartacter that, with the use of ingame macros, can inform new players of where to get further information.

Others are trying to develope new markets, and new channels.

There is even a new quest coming out soon that was designed by the Chaos shard player Klaus, that will give lower level players a fun, interesting and informitive quest.

These are very good starts... But what else can we do?

Current list of what WE can do...

1. Join the channels for General, Market place, Help, New Player, Dragon, and assist with questions or directions.
2. Help stock starter town consigners with useful starter gear.
3. Provide directions on where to find help to ANY new player you come in contact with.

[imported_Ssilmath]

We can help develope lore, continue helping with quests and with some guidance can use our experiences in game to come up with ideas that can be put to good use...Most of us would do everything and anything to help make HZ a better game...

[Seikojin]

:o
I htink alot of people need to do the quests themselves to better understand the lore involved. Help new players know that they get a great experience by playing the game with people their level if they want to hunt, and that they can have a group expeience in crafting as well...

But it also needs to be understood that some people ONLY play games to min/max or powerlevel, or cheat... This is afterall a game, and everyone will have their own way of doing things...

I think if more people hung out in the various channels and offered help in those channels then maybe more people would turn to them for their help when needed instead of MP.

[LaughingOtter]

There is even a new quest coming out soon that was designed by the Chaos shard player Klaus, that will give lower level players a fun, interesting and informitive quest.

Hopefully higher-level players will have fun too. [;)]

Illyist indicated it should be going live tomorrow, sokeep your fingers/claws crossed. Two things people should know, though, are that a) it's not repeatable, &b) you CAN fail.

That said, I'd like to steer back on to topic just long enough to remind Aamer that player-created content can be generated in abundance, butimplementing it is not up to us. Therefor, I'd say it's not something we can do ourselves...yet. [A]

[Aamer Khan]

You are exactly right for quests involving npc's. But I want to go further. Take as an example what Vah has done with a macro and a player character. This gives new players directions and helps them learn a bit.

Along these lines what can we do?

I'm going to copy his Vah's idea, and create a character that directs new players to the various channels for information. Then, I am also going to be sure that I and others try and populate these channels to give assistance.

My hope is that the Dev's will make our efforts unnecessary, and have an automated feature in all starter towns directing new players to where they can find the help they need. Until then, this will assist.

But again... what else can we do?

[Kulamata]

The above is great.While all that is going on, we should also keep on with the unglamorous stuff too. STock the connies. Make yourself available on the New Islands for questions. I've seen Chioxin (as just one example) standing by the NB shrine, shouting "free spells" for those who needed basic spells.

And we can ask Tulga to make the surplus equipment sales more useful.

[Hal`cyon Sskyler]

Stocking newbie islands is a very helpful thing to do. Especially the essentials that all beginner players would need to have. Such as:

-Flaxen Cloth Armor (Anyone can wear it and it even helps warriors)
-Bronze Scale/Ring
-Standard Sandstone Cargo Disks (Ever try crafting without a disk?)
-Level 1 axes, swords, clubs, anything better than training gear
-Basic tier I repeating spell attacks (Flame Bolt, Lightning Bolt, Energy Bolt, Spirit Bolt, etc)
-Mining picks
-Smelting Tongs
-Stoneworking Chisels
-Tree axes
-Wood Saws
-Harvest Knives
-Fabric Scissors
-And all the other tools a beginning crafter needs (Cap of 50 on training tools is just obscene)


Also I really agree with Ssilmath in that many players know and can write lore and quests, and would be more than willing to for zero pay or even acknowledgement (I know I would).

If anything, I'd love to see a situation like this:

Tulga gives us a list of all NPC's in each racial / beginner town and assigns a new hyperlink in their initial greet called "chat" or "gossip" or "How 'bout them gruok?" All they ask is we the players write a short conversation snippit complete with hypertext on words to further the conversation in that direction. No running around, no kill X grulets, just give the player something to interact with that can further immerse them in the world. If possible, throw in some differences or randomness depending on the players race / gender (or lack of) / school / rating. Happen to be a spiritist and talk to a paladin trainer? Get your head chewed off for 'siding with the blight'. Greet Fulthas the miner trainer as an elf? Have him make a snide remark about giving into the Aegis when Feladan fell. Without the nastiness of testing quest bugs and looking for exploits, all a developer would need to do is go through the chat, correct / improve and bits of dialoge, and make sure all the links work.

Dunno how much of a strain NPC chat adds to the system, but I'd gladly write googols of flavor text. Hell, half of the NPC's standing around Sslanis I've thought up silly backstories for after being around them so much.

My thoughts. Now yours.